COP26: Queen will not be attending climate change summit in Glasgow following advice to rest
ITV News Political Reporter Shehab Khan on whether the Queen's cancellation will impact the success of COP26
The Queen will not be attending COP26 next week following advice to rest.
The 95-year-old monarch was due to attend the summit in Glasgow on Monday 1 November with Prince Charles and Camilla as well as Prince William and Kate.
In a statement released on Tuesday, however, Buckingham Palace said: "Following advice to rest, The Queen has been undertaking light duties at Windsor Castle. Her Majesty has regretfully decided that she will no longer travel to Glasgow to attend the Evening Reception of COP26 on Monday, 1st November.
"Her Majesty is disappointed not to attend the reception but will deliver an address to the assembled delegates via a recorded video message."
The Queen returned to work on Tuesday carrying out virtual audiences from Windsor Castle for the first time since she spent a night in hospital and was ordered to rest by her doctors.
Last week, the Queen was forced to cancel a two-day visit to Northern Ireland and had to make an overnight stay at the King Edward VII Hospital in London, where Buckingham Palace said she underwent some preliminary tests.
It was her first overnight stay at a medical facility in eight years.
The Queen remains at Windsor Castle and decided against attending the Sunday service at All Saints church at Royal Lodge on the estate at the weekend.
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It is understood the Queen very much wants COP26 to be a success and result in meaningful action from the participating nations.
With the head of state missing from the global event it is hoped no world leaders will use her absence as a reason not to attend the summit being hosted by Glasgow.
The COP27 climate conference - what you need to know
What is COP27? When and where will it be?
What is COP27? When and where will it be?
Each year, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meets at what is called the Conference of the Parties (abbreviated as COP) to discuss the world's progress on climate change and how to tackle it.
COP27 is the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties summit which will be held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt from November 6-18.
Who is going?
Who is going?
Leaders of the 197 countries that signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) - a treaty that came into force in 1994 - are invited to the summit.
These are some of the world leaders that will be attending COP27:
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is attending the conference, after initially saying he wouldn't as he was too busy focusing on the economy within his first weeks in office.
US President Joe Biden and his experienced climate envoy, John Kerry, will appear at the talks.
France President Emmanuel Macron will also be among the heads of state from around the world staying in Egypt.
King Charles III will not be attending COP27, despite being a staunch advocate for the environment. The decision was made jointly by Buckingham Palace and former prime minister Liz Truss.
Elsewhere, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will not attend the talks just as they decided to do for COP26.
What is it hoping to achieve?
What is it hoping to achieve?
1. Ensure full implementation of the Paris Agreement and putting negotiations into concrete actions - included within this is the target of limiting global warming to well below 2C.
2. Cementing progress on the critical workstreams of mitigation, adaptation, finance and loss and damage, while stepping up finance notably to tackle the impacts of climate change.
3. Enhancing the delivery of the principles of transparency and accountability throughout the UN Climate Change process.
Following on from her virtual audiences with Gunn Kim, ambassador from the Republic of Korea, and the Swiss ambassador Markus Leitner, the Queen is expecting a call from the Chancellor on Tuesday evening.
Rishi Sunak will speak to the Queen on the eve of his budget, a tradition dating back some years.
The monarch is also expected to carry out light engagements in the coming days.