Queen told to rest for further two weeks but has 'firm intention' to attend Remembrance Sunday

ITV News Royal Editor Chris Ship reports on the latest announcement from the palace


The Queen has been advised by her doctors to take a further two weeks of rest.

The development comes after the 95-year-old underwent tests in hospital last week and cancelled a two-day trip to Northern Ireland.

The Monarch will be permitted to undertake light, desk-based duties but will not attend any public engagements.


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Resting will mean the Queen will be absent from the Festival of Remembrance on Saturday 13th November but intends to attend National Service of Remembrance the following day.

"However, it remains The Queen’s firm intention to be present for the National Service of Remembrance on Remembrance Sunday, on 14th November," a statement from the Palace said.

The Queen has only missed the event six times during her career, when she was pregnant or travelling.

She is said to be in good spirits, however, and during Friday afternoon recorded her Cop26 speech for the UN climate change conference which opens on Monday in Glasgow.

The COP27 climate conference - what you need to know

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?

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.

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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.

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Earlier this week, the head of state announced she would not be attending the evening reception for world leaders on the global event’s opening day.

There will be concern for the Queen given her advanced years but medics see the period of rest as a sensible precaution.


'I'm glad to meet you mechanically' says the Queen on virtual meeting


The Queen appeared cheerful and in good humour when she hosted a virtual presentation ceremony on Thursday - awarding the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry 2020 to poet David Constantine.

Speaking from Windsor Castle during a video call, she joked with the writer at Buckingham Palace, saying about his award “Do you put it in a cupboard?