Frail Queen Elizabeth Won't Join Royal Family For Easter Sunday Service

After battling health issues in recent months, Queen Elizabeth will not join the Royal Family at Windsor Castle's Easter Sunday service.

Buckingham Palace have confirmed the development, according to Daily Star. Other members of the Royal Family will attend the service, at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle. The chapel, which is the 14th century place of worship in the Lower Ward of the castle, pulls crowds hoping to get a glimpse of the Queen before and after the Easter service. As the British monarch will be absent, local children will likely hand out a bouquet of flowers to other royals on Sunday.

Hello! magazine reported that the Easter Sunday church service is an important fixture in the Royal Family's calendar. Going by its importance, the Queen will no doubt be disappointed that she cannot attend. It will be the first Easter Sunday service in more than five decades that the monarch, who turns 96 next week, will have missed.

This comes after the Queen’s son Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, attended Thursday's Royal Maundy service in place of the Queen.

It is the first time she has missed the service since 1970, reported BBC. Last week, Buckingham Palace announced that the monarch would not be taking part in the Easter Maundy service. It was shared that Charles would fulfil the ancient duty of distributing Maundy money to community stalwarts. It is understood that the monarch, who had previously complained of mobility issues, was unable to commit to the event, and so the heir to the throne was asked to attend the service in her place.

Recently, the Queen, who battled a bout of coronavirus in February, spoke about her experience of COVID-19. She revealed that it left her "very tired and exhausted."

It's understood that her public appearances are decided on a case-by-case basis. Last month, she was able to attend the Thanksgiving Service for her late husband Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey, but difficulties in moving has meant that she has pulled out of several events, including the annual Commonwealth Service.

The Queen, who is also set to celebrate 70 years on the throne this year, has often spoken of the importance of her Christian faith. The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby described her Christian faith as "the rock on which she stands."