Queen Elizabeth cancels Northern Ireland visit due to medical advice

Buckingham Palace says, the Queen has cancelled a trip to Northern Ireland and has "reluctantly accepted medical advice to rest for the next few days."

The BBC reported that the 95-year-old monarch will remain at Windsor Castle but is still expected to attend the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow later this month.

The palace said, the Queen is in "good spirits" but "disappointed" that the visit cannot go ahead.

The BBC said that the Queen was due to begin the two-day trip on Wednesday.

It mentioned that the nation's longest-reigning monarch has attended a series of events in recent days, hosting a Global Investment Summit at Windsor Castle on Tuesday evening.

Queen Elizabeth-England-Windsor-Polo Cup/Pixabay

Earlier in the day, she held two audiences via video link, greeting the Japanese ambassador Hajime Hayashi and the EU ambassador Joao de Almeida.

On Monday, she held a virtual audience with the new governor-general of New Zealand, and at the weekend, she attended the races at Ascot.

It was revealed on Tuesday that the Queen had declined the Oldie of the Year award, from the magazine of the same name, saying: "You are only as old as you feel".

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: "The Queen has reluctantly accepted medical advice to rest for the next few days.

"Her Majesty is in good spirits and is disappointed that she will no longer be able to visit Northern Ireland, where she had been due to undertake a series of engagements today and tomorrow.

"The Queen sends her warmest good wishes to the people of Northern Ireland and looks forward to visiting in the future."

The Queen's decision is understood to be unrelated to coronavirus.

The BBC said, the Queen had been due to arrive in Hillsborough in County Down on Wednesday afternoon and attend a church service marking the centenary of the formation of Northern Ireland in Armagh tomorrow.

It added that an advance team was already in Northern Ireland making preparations for the two-day visit.

Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales was also at Windsor Castle on Wednesday for an investiture ceremony where the chef and TV presenter Mary Berry was made Dame Commander.

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, said on Twitter: "We thank Her Majesty for her good wishes to the people of Northern Ireland and trust that she will keep well and benefit from a period of rest.

"It is always a joy to have Her Majesty in Royal Hillsborough and we look forward to a further visit in the near future."

Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis said he wished the Queen "all the very best as she takes a few days' rest".

Church leaders in Northern Ireland said in a joint statement that they were sorry she would not attend the Service of Reconciliation and Hope in Armagh, and acknowledged "the significance of her commitment to the work of peace and reconciliation, which has meant a great deal to people throughout this island".

The Queen first travelled to Northern Ireland in 1945, just after the end of World War Two, when she was a princess. If it had gone ahead, this week's trip would have been her 26th visit.

Royal visits to Northern Ireland during its centenary year have included the first in line to the throne, Prince Charles who went to Belfast in May, and Prince William who visited Londonderry in September.

Source: BBC