The Queen is normally in robust health and has rarely taken time off due to illness in her 60 years on the throne. The monarch, who turns 87 next month, is known not to make a fuss during times of sickness or discomfort.
Despite her advanced age, the Queen still keeps an active schedule of public appearances and carried out some 425 engagements in her Diamond Jubilee year of 2012
Her recent hospital stay came after she suffered symptoms of gastroenteritis and missed an engagement in Swansea on March 2, when she was due to present St David’s Day leeks to the 3rd Battalion The Royal Welsh.
On March 3, she was admitted to King Edward VII’s Hospital – her first hospital stay in 10 years – to be assessed. A week of engagements, including a two-day trip to Rome, was cancelled.
The Queen spent one night in hospital and left, thanking staff and smiling before being driven to Buckingham Palace to rest.
It was thought her public appearances were back on track until Buckingham Palace announced yesterday that she regrettably could no longer attend the Commonwealth Day Observance service “as she continues to recover following her recent illness”.
Despite her advanced age, the Queen still keeps an active schedule of public appearances and carried out some 425 engagements in her Diamond Jubilee year of 2012.
A firm believer in homeopathy like her son, the Prince of Wales, the Queen has often supplemented more conventional medical opinion with herbal remedies.
As a young woman, in January 1949, she caught measles and had to be separated from the newborn Charles. The first time the Queen was admitted to hospital – her children were all born at home – was in July 1982 when she had a wisdom tooth extracted at the exclusive King Edward VII Hospital in central London.
In March 1993, she was forced to cancel several engagements because she had the flu, including the Commonwealth Observance service which she is missing today.
However, in the same month, she refused to cancel a visit to a handbag factory despite having had three stitches in her left hand after being bitten by one of her corgis. In January 1994, she wore a plaster cast after breaking her left wrist when her horse tripped during a ride on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
It was the first time she had fallen in many years. The injury was not diagnosed until almost 24 hours later after she had remounted and ridden back to Sandringham unaware of the damage.
Her wrist was X-rayed and set in plaster at a hospital in King’s Lynn.
She was admitted to the King Edward VII’s Hospital in January 2003 for keyhole surgery on her injured right knee. She had torn cartilage when she jarred the knee walking on rough ground during a private visit to Newmarket, Suffolk.
A 45-minute operation to remove the cartilage was a complete success and the Queen used a walking stick during convalescence when her official engagements were scaled down.
In December the same year, the Queen, then 77, returned to the King Edward VII for a similar operation on her left knee.
This time the damage appeared to be due to her advancing age or general wear and tear rather than a specific injury.
At the same time, surgeons removed minor – non-cancerous – lesions from her face in a doubleprocedure lasting an hour and a quarter.
The Queen cancelled and postponed engagements but was fully active again in a few weeks.
In June 2009, the Queen cancelled an appearance at an investiture ceremony after catching a cold and in April 2011, she pulled out of a service for the Royal Victorian Order at Windsor Castle after suffering a nosebleed.
In October 2011, she missed a visit to the British Museum in London after coming down with a cold ahead of a long haul trip to Australia.
The Queen has also had occasional problems with her back. In October 2012, she was forced to cancel an appearance at a Windsor Castle investiture ceremony, and she also had to miss a church service in Scotland a few days earlier.
In 2006, she suffered a strain to her back during her annual summer break at Balmoral which led to her cancelling a tour of Arsenal’s new stadium.
Full Commonwealth Day message
"This year’s Commonwealth theme, Opportunity through Enterprise, is a celebration of our achievements, particularly those that may have seemed challenging, daunting or even impossible, which have helped to build strength, resilience and pride in our young people, in our communities and in our nations.
Great achievements in human history have a number of common characteristics. From climbing the highest mountain, to winning a sporting competition, making a scientific breakthrough, building a successful business or discovering unique artistic talent – these outcomes all begin as a simple goal or idea in one person’s mind.
We are all born with the desire to learn, to explore, to try new things. And each of us can think of occasions when we have been inspired to do something more efficiently, or to assist others in achieving their full potential.
Yet it still takes courage to launch into the unknown. Ambition and curiosity open new avenues of opportunity.
That is what lies at the heart of our Commonwealth approach: individuals and communities finding ways to strive together to create a better future that is beneficial for all.
Our shared values of peace, democracy, development, justice and human rights – which are found in our new Commonwealth Charter – mean that we place special emphasis on including everyone in this goal, especially those who are vulnerable.
I am reminded of the adage, ‘nothing ventured, nothing gained’. As we reflect on how the Commonwealth theme applies to us individually, let us think about what can be gained with a bold heart, dedication, and teamwork. And let us bear in mind the great opportunity that is offered by the Commonwealth – of joining with others, stronger together, for the common good."