Queen Elizabeth absent from Christmas Day service because of illness

Britain's longest serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth, missed her Christmas Day visit to church for the first time in decades because of illness.

The church visit on the day is also a traditional family event.

The tradition started when the royal household started to spend Christmas at the Queen's private estate at Sandringham.

Concerns about the Queen's health were raised earlier this week when she had to delay making the train journey from her home in London to her private estate at Sandringham in Norfolk. Palace officials said both the Queen, 90, and her 95-year-old husband, Prince Philip, were suffering from "heavy colds."

But the Royal couple made the 161-km journey to Sandringham by helicopter a day late.

In a brief statement, an official palace spokesman at Kensington Palace said: "Her Majesty the Queen will not attend church at Sandringham this morning. The Queen continues to recover from a heavy cold and will stay indoors to assist with her recovery. Her Majesty will participate in the Royal Family Christmas celebrations during the day."

The Daily Express national newspaper in London said it appeared it was the first time in Queen Elizabeth's reign of 64 years that she has missed the traditional Christmas Day service.

Millions of people turned in to watch the Queen's traditional message on national television. The speech had been pre-recorded a few days before she became ill. Endit