Following her bout of Covid last month, the Queen has been more selective about the public appearances she makes, and HELLO! understands there is doubt surrounding whether she will be able to attend her late husband Prince Philip's memorial next week.
READ: The Queen's subtle tribute to Prince Philip in her Windsor Castle living room
The memorial is set to take place on Tuesday 29 March at Westminster Abbey, though The Palace has yet to confirm whether the Queen will be able to be present, saying that she still hopes to attend.
WATCH: The Queen carries out virtual audiences
Royal author Robert Jobson told the Royally US podcast: "I'm sure that she'd desperately want to be there, but if she can't, she can't and she'll be well represented by her eldest son, the Prince of Wales."
SEE: The Queen uses Prince Philip's walking stick at Sandringham tea party
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The Queen has scaled back her duties of late, missing the Commonwealth Service earlier in March, with reports saying she is reluctant to be seen in public due to her use of a wheelchair.
On GB News on Monday, entertainer Christopher Biggins told presenter Eamonn Holmes: "I have heard the reason she's not doing a lot of the events she should be doing is because she's in a wheelchair and she doesn't want to be seen, because she's very proud."
The Queen has been walking with a stick since late 2021
The Queen has been using a walking stick publicly since October 2021, after she began suffering from mobility issues. At the time Her Majesty was put on doctors' orders to rest.
MORE: The Queen scaling back duties as she looks set to miss more public events
Her Majesty's absence at the Commonwealth Day celebrations could have set a precedent for other upcoming big royal events. HELLO!'s royal editor Emily Nash says: "At nearly 96, it's remarkable that the Queen is as engaged and committed to her duties as ever. But she is not as mobile as she once was and inevitably, she is no longer able to carry out some of the physical elements of her work as she would want to.
The Queen always uses a stick for public appearances now
"It makes total sense that aides are factoring in her comfort when looking at her schedule from now on."
One person who is set to attend the memorial service is Prince Andrew. Princess Beatrice and Eugenie's father is expected to attend alongside the Queen and many other royals, including his siblings, Prince Charles, Princess Anne and Prince Edward.
Close friends of Prince Philip will also be in attendance, as well as colleagues and representatives of organisations he supported.
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