The British monarch has missed a traditional New Year's Day mass due to a lingering cold. The Queen was also absent from the Christmas church service last week, raising concerns over her health.
Image: picture-alliance/empics/PA Wire/J. Brady
Advertisement
Buckingham Palace said on Sunday that Queen Elizabeth "does not yet feel ready to attend church as she is still recuperating from a heavy cold."
Despite not being seen in public for 12 days, there was no indication that the 90-year-old monarch is suffering from a more serious illness. As Supreme Governor of the Church of England, attending the church service has long been part of her New Year's Day routine .
Her absence on Sunday came just a week after she also missed the Christmas service for the first time in decades. She and her 95-year-old husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, also traveled a day later than planned to their Sandringham estate in Norfolk where they spent Christmas. Both were reportedly suffereing from severe colds.
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, leaving St Mary Magdelene Church on New Year's DayImage: picture-alliance/AP Photo/J. Giddens
Health concerns
The prolonged illness has raised some concerns over the queen's health due to the potential dangers of colds and flus for elderly people.
The queen has generally been in good health in recent years although she has cut down somewhat on her traveling and public appearances. Prince Philip has also reduced his schedule, but still managed to attend more than 100 public events in 2016.
Despite his wife's absence on New Year's Day, the Duke of Edinburgh still attended mass where he was also joined by his youngest son Prince Edward and daughter Princess Anne and their families.
Queen Elizabeth passes up Victoria
Victoria was Queen of England for 63 years and 216 days. Now Queen Elizabeth has passed her up.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/R. Michael
The record-setting monarch
Queen Elizabeth became England's monarch on February 6, 1962, the day her father, King George VI, died. Since then she has ruled over the United Kingdom, and has been head of the Commonwealth and the Church of England. On the evening of September 9, 2015, the 89-year-old becomes the longest reigning British monarch of all time.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/R. Michael
Victoria's heyday
Until now, Queen Victoria (1819-1901) held the record for the longest time on the throne. She became Queen in 1837 and held the office until her death: 63 years and seven months. Spanning several generations, her reign impacted an entire era, which was named after her. During the Victorian Era, Britain experienced economic growth and its empire reached the climax of its power.
Image: picture alliance/Heritage Images
The world's oldest monarch
Queen Elizabeth has already been the oldest monarch in British history since December 20, 2007. This was the first of Victoria's records broken by Elizabeth. Victoria was 81 years, seven months and 29 days old when she died. Queen Elizabeth turned 89 this year, on April 21. She became the oldest monarch in the world when Abdullah of Saudi Arabia passed away on January 23, 2015.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/R. Michael
Only one Empress of India
Queen Victoria still has one up on Elizabeth, however. On January 1, 1877, she became the first British monarch to hold the title Empress of India, which incorporated India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar at the time. In 1947, India and Pakistan gained their independence from Britain.
Image: picture alliance/Heritage Images
The royal couple
Queen Victoria married her cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, in 1840. They had nine children together. When Albert died in December 1861 at the young age of 42, Victoria fell into depression and largely withdrew from public life.
Image: Keystone/Getty Images
The Queen in Germany
Queen Elizabeth has visited Germany seven times during her reign. She came for the first time in May 1965. She is pictured here in Bonn with Heinrich Lübke, who was Germany's 39-year-old president at the time. During that first visit, the Queen spent 11 days touring Germany, including stops in the capital, Bonn, divided Berlin, and 16 additional cities.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Rehm
Elizabeth and the Germans
In June 2015, the Queen visited Germany once again. She's pictured here with her husband, Prince Philip, German President Joachim Gauck and his wife, Daniela Schadt, in front of the presidential residence in Berlin. Queen Elizabeth also went to Frankfurt and paid a visit to the site of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, which was liberated by British soldiers at the end of World War II.
Image: Getty Images/S. Gallup
Another record awaits
Queen Elizabeth is currently the oldest monarch in the world and now the longest reigning in Britain. But she's not the longest reigning royal in the world. That title goes to Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who spent 69 years on the throne. He became monarch on June 9, 1946 at the age of 18. He is still widely respected in Thailand today.
