The Queen expected to miss Easter Sunday service in Windsor
The Queen is not expected to attend the annual Easter service in Windsor on Sunday, it has emerged.
A Buckingham Palace source said Her Majesty, who turns 96 next week, was unlikely to join other members of the Royal Family at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.
The service falls on the one-year anniversary of the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral, which took place at the same chapel on April 17 2021.
The Queen’s decision to pull out is understood to be related to her ongoing mobility issues, which also meant she missed Thursday's Maundy service for the first time since 1970.
She asked the Prince of Wales to step in for her at the traditional service, also held at St George’s Chapel - the first since the pandemic.
Palace sources said the monarch made the decision not to attend on Maundy Thursday several days in advance, to avoid arrangements being thrown into disarray at the last minute.
Last week, she admitted in a video call that Covid had left her feeling “very tired and exhausted”, after testing positive for the virus in late February.
The Queen has only missed the Maundy service four times previously - twice due to Royal tours, in 1954 and 1970, and twice due to the births of the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex, in 1960 and 1964.
The event is an important fixture in the Royal calendar, with the Prince of Wales following the ancient tradition of distributing specially-minted coins to leading representatives of the community.
The Bishop of Worcester, Dr John Inge, speaking in his role as Lord High Almoner, said the Queen had a copy of the order of service and a list of Maundy money recipients and details about them.
He told the congregation before the service began: "She's close by and would want me to extend to you her greetings."
The increasingly frail Queen pulled out of last month’s Commonwealth Service, but was able to attend a memorial service for her late husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, last month. Detailed plans were put in place to ensure she could arrive comfortably.
Last week, she joined a video call with NHS staff and former patients, during which she reflected on the impact that “this horrible pandemic” has had.
Chatting to a former Covid patient on the virtual visit to open the Royal London Hospital’s Queen Elizabeth Unit, she said that Covid had left her “very tired and exhausted”.
“It’s not a nice result,” she said.
The last Easter Mattins Service to be held at Windsor took place on the Queen’s 93rd birthday, April 21 2019.
Her Majesty was accompanied by a plethora of Royals including the Duke of Sussex, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Duke of York and the Earl and Countess of Wessex.
