The Queen's diary has been dramatically scaled back after her absence this week from the Commonwealth service. ITV News royal editor Chris Ship told his podcast Royal Rota that significant changes have now been made to the monarch's schedule due to ongoing mobility concerns. He added that it all seems "to have gone a bit wrong" in recent weeks.

The Queen was forced to pull out of the annual Commonwealth Day service this week and instead asked her son and heir Prince Charles to represent her.

Mr Ship said royal traditions like investitures, where a senior member of the Royal Family personally hands out various honours like MBEs, CBEs and Orders of Merit, will now be dropped from her diary.

He explained: "It is remarkable through her reign how few events she has been forced to miss or cancel.

"It's only in the last few months, not going to Ireland, now cancelling the Commonwealth, and so on. It's all gone a bit wrong if we can say that."

© GETTY Queen

ITV producer Lizzie Robinson responded: "We are expecting some changes to her diary."

Mr Ship said: "Yes, it's our understanding that those long investiture ceremonies, which they have been doing a lot of recently because of catching up over Covid.

"That is where you get your honour personally from a member of the royal family.

"The Queen has done her fair share of those and it's those sort of things that are being struck from her diary for good.

"She might be able to do one-off individual honours like when Captain Tom was honoured but that is it."

The Queen has carried out the ceremonies for decades, but royal aides were concerned by the fact that they require standing for a long period of time.

It is understood that her absence from the Commonwealth ceremony was also caused by mobility issues rather than an illness.

In February, Prince William took over from the Queen to hand out the investiture while the monarch was suffering a Covid infection.

Mr Ship added: "It's part of a wider examination of the Queen's commitments now she is in the second half of her ninth decade.

"In the short term, that means making sure the Queen is well enough to attend the Duke of Edinburgh's Service of Thanksgiving, scheduled for the end of March.

"That is also at Westminster Abbey - and that will involve doing the things she was unable to do today at the Commonwealth service.

"Namely travelling there from Windsor Castle, walking through the Nave and towards the High Altar, and sitting for the length of the service."