The Queen will not be attending the traditional Easter Sunday service on 17 April.

It comes as Her Majesty misses the Royal Maundy Service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle today.

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall are expected to attend the Sunday service, as well as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace told The Independent that it would not confirm which members of the royal family are attending, but the Queen is not expected to be there.

The annual Easter Sunday service is a staple in the royal calendar. However, there have been concerns around mobility issues the 95-year-old monarch has been experiencing in recent months.

She is being represented by Prince Charles and Camilla at the Royal Maundy service, after Buckingham Palace announced last week that she would not be taking part.

There have been just four other occasions where a member of the royal family has stood in for the Queen at the Royal Maundy service. The last time was in 1970, when the Queen Mother stood in while Her Majesty was on tour in New Zealand.

The Royal Maundy is an ancient ceremony which originated in the commandment Christ gave after washing the feet of his disciples the day before Good Friday.

Traditionally, the Quene distributes Maundy coins to people who have been nominated for their community work. This year, Charles will distribute the coins to 96 men and 96 women in honour of the Queen’s 96th birthday on 21 April.

The monarch recently attended a service of thanksgiving commemorating the life of the Duke of Edinburgh. She has also been carrying out virtual events and other duties as head of state.

Earlier this week, she revealed that her bout of Covid left her feeling “very tired and exhausted”, just over a month after she tested positive for the virus.

Speaking at a virtual engagement with staff and patients of the Royal London Hospital, the Queen added: “This horrile pandemic. It’s not a nice result.”

She tested positive for Covid in February, after meeting with Charles who tested positive for the virus shortly afterwards.

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