Queen Camilla will not be with Charles at tonight’s Royal Variety Performance due to ‘lingering post-viral symptoms’ following her chest infection.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “Following a recent chest infection, The Queen continues to experience some lingering post-viral symptoms, as a result of which doctors have advised that, after a busy week of engagements, Her Majesty should prioritise sufficient rest.

“With great regret, she has therefore withdrawn from attendance at tonight’s Royal Variety Performance. His Majesty will attend as planned.”

The Queen had returned to royal duties this week, joining the King and the Prince of Wales for the annual diplomatic reception on Tuesday night and attending events on Wednesday and Thursday.

But due to the length and lateness of the performance tonight, her doctors have advised that she stays at home to avoid overstretching herself.

The Queen yesterday at the Commonwealth essay competition ( 
Image:
PA)
It is understood that the Queen will remain in London tonight but will move to Sandringham for the week ahead, as was always planned. This week medics had been closely monitoring her recovery from the nasty chest infection and were taking each engagement as they came.

But today she is said to be feeling a little under the weather today and a royal source told the Express that Camilla is “naturally disappointed to miss the evening’s entertainments, and sends her sincere apologies to all those involved, but is a great believer that ‘the show must go on’. She hopes to be back to full strength and regular public duties very soon.”

Yesterday the Queen congratulated “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” teenage essay prize winners by comparing them to the young author of Mary Poppins at the Commonwealth essay competition.

She has hosted the Commonwealth’s oldest writing competition for a decade and this year’s theme was “our common wealth”. Four youngsters aged between 13 and 16 – from Malaysia, Singapore and Uganda – were presented with certificates by the Queen at Buckingham Palace on Thursday. The competition received a record-breaking 34,939 entries from 54 Commonwealth countries.

Queen Camilla will not attend tonight’s Royal Variety Performance ( 
Image:
PA)

Camilla said the work by the winners and runners-up reminded her of a statement by the author of Mary Poppins: “A writer is, after all, only half his book. The other half is the reader.”

She said Pamela Travers was describing writing that “by some strange magic, makes the reader part of the story”, and added “This is definitely true of our wonderful finalists: thanks to your talents, your readers are taken on amazing journeys with you across the Commonwealth.”

Camilla added: “Now, if Mary Poppins were here, I wonder if she would be telling me to hurry up with a brisk ‘spit spot’ so that we can get on to the prize-giving. I will therefore end by saying that there is just one word to describe you all – but I might need some help from Gyles to get it right. You are utterly supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.”