Queen Elizabeth II will skip COP26 reception, days after overnight hospital stay

The announcement that the Queen would skip the planned appearance at the COP26 summit came just hours after she carried out her first official engagements — albeit virtually, from Windsor Castle — since spending a night in hospital and canceling a trip to Northern Ireland last week.

“Her Majesty The Queen today conducted two virtual audiences via videolink from Windsor Castle,” Buckingham Palace said Tuesday in a press release. She received the ambassador from the Republic of Korea Gunn Kim, and the ambassador of Switzerland Markus Leitner, it said.

Last week a Buckingham Palace spokesman said the 95-year-old monarch was admitted for “preliminary investigations” after she followed doctor’s orders to cancel the trip and rest.

A source close to the palace told CNN at the time that her stay in the hospital was “not Covid related.”

The Queen, along with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, had been due to attend a church service in the city of Armagh last Thursday, marking the centenary of partition and Northern Ireland’s foundation.

What we know about the Queen's health

The Queen was expected to attend an evening reception in Glasgow on Monday. The Buckingham Palace said she will instead deliver an address to the assembled delegates via a recorded video message.

Earlier this month, the Queen was overheard saying the lack of action on tackling the climate crisis was “irritating.”

Last week, she declined an honor of being named “Oldie of the Year” by a British magazine, saying she didn’t meet “the relevant criteria.” She “politely but firmly” declined the award through her assistant private secretary with “warmest best wishes.”

“Her Majesty believes you are as old as you feel, as such The Queen does not believe she meets the relevant criteria to be able to accept, and hopes you will find a more worthy recipient,” Tom Laing-Baker said in a letter.

Earlier this month, the Queen made the decision to use a walking stick in public for the first time “for comfort.”

While the Queen doesn’t appear to be slowing down when it comes to her ceremonial responsibilities, she has since handed off long-haul tours to other family members.

Still, she’s still traveling extensively across the UK, with CNN’s conservative estimates showing that the Queen traveled more than 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) from October 1 through to October 19.

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