The UK’s Queen Elizabeth II has missed the Christmas Day church service due to poor health, a first in nearly three decades.
The royal family attended the traditional service at the church of St. Mary Magdalene, near the royal estate, on Sunday morning.
However, hundreds of people who had gathered outside the church to catch a glimpse of the monarch were disappointed when they found out that she was not partaking in the event for the first time since 1988.
“The Queen continues to recover from a heavy cold and will stay indoors to assist with her recovery,” the Buckingham Palace said in a statement on Sunday, adding that Elizabeth II would “participate in the royal family Christmas celebrations during the day.”
The news came after the illness forced the 90-year-old queen and 95-year-old Prince Philip to cancel a train trip to their Sandringham estate in Norfolk on Thursday and fly there on a helicopter instead.
The two were slated to leave…