Queen's 'regret' as she pulls out of another royal event with Charles set to step in

The Queen has pulled out of attending an annual Easter church service next week for the first time in more than 50 years as she could not guarantee her attendance, Buckingham Palace has announced.

It is yet another engagement that Her Majesty has cancelled - and instead Prince Charles and Camilla will take her place at the Royal Maundy Service, which will be held at St George's Chapel in Windsor on Thursday. The Queen is reportedly 'regretfully unable to commit' to attending the annual service, which usually sees the monarch distribute special Maundy money to pensioners, reports the Mirror .

It is understood the 95-year-old has been experiencing mobility issues and with the order of service being printed, she was keen for the arrangements to be confirmed 'to avoid any misunderstanding or the day to be overshadowed'. Palace aides have admitted in recent weeks that Her Majesty, who turns 96 on April 21, has 'good days and less good days' in terms of being able to get about.

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The annual event is an important fixture in the royal calendar and will see Charles follow the ancient tradition of distributing Maundy money to community stalwarts - with the number of 96 men and 96 women being representative of the Queen's birthday of that year - for the first time. The Maundy Thursday service has been cancelled for the last two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2019, Princess Eugenie joined her grandmother in Windsor for the occasion.

There have been four occasions where another member of the royal family has attended the Royal Maundy event in Her Majesty’s absence. In 1954 The Lord High Almoner represented the Queen as Her Majesty