THE Queen has been has spent the night in hospital tests for tests after cancelling official duties.
Her Majesty has generally been in good health throughout her 69-year reign and it appears the decision to keep her in hospital was made on practical grounds.
The 95-year-old monarch had been due visit Northern Ireland on a two day trip but cancelled it on the advice of her doctors.
She was kept her in because it was getting too late to take her on a 26-mile trip home, sources have said.
The Queen quickly returned to Royal duties after the death of the Duke of Edinburgh in April, aged 99
She is known for her robust constitution this week was on her feet for more than an hour at a business summit at Windsor Castle.
But she has cut down on her alcohol consumption since the death of her husband, ditching the Martini cocktail she was said to enjoy every evening.
And as winter approaches she will cut back commitments as she struggles with getting about.
Courtiers will ensure she walks less at public engagements and avoids steps and cobbles while her car will also pull up closer to venues.
The decision to rest and not travel to Northern Ireland is understood not to be related to coronavirus.
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The Queen is double-vaccinated, having been given her first jab by a household doctor at Windsor Castle on January 9 and her second at the end of March.
Concerns were first raised when she started to use a walking stick on engagements at Westminster Abbey and the Welsh parliament this month.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said this morning: “The Queen has reluctantly accepted medical advice to rest for the next few days.
“Her Majesty is in good spirits and is disappointed that she will no longer be able to visit Northern Ireland, where she had been due to undertake a series of engagements today and tomorrow.
“The Queen sends her warmest good wishes to the people of Northern Ireland, and looks forward to visiting in the future.”
Down the years the Queen has faced some medical issues and in 2018 underwent eye surgery to remove a cataract.
In 2013, she had her first hospital stay in 10 years when, at the age of 86, she suffered symptoms of gastroenteritis and missed an engagement in Swansea.
In 2003 she had two knee operations, one in January and the other in December.
Before the Queen’s last major health scrape occurred in January 1994, when she broke her wrist in a riding accident at Sandringham.
