LONDON, England —

Video above: Queen Elizabeth Welcomes Britain’s New Prime Minister

Buckingham Palace said Thursday that Queen Elizabeth II is under medical supervision because doctors are “concerned for Her Majesty’s health," as members of her family traveled to be with the 96-year-old monarch in Scotland.

“Following further evaluation this morning, the Queen’s doctors are concerned for Her Majesty’s health and have recommended she remain under medical supervision,” the palace said in a statement that sparked deep concern.

The announcement comes a day after the queen canceled a meeting of her Privy Council and was told to rest. On Tuesday, she presided over the ceremonial handover power to new Prime Minister Liz Truss at her summer residence in Scotland at Balmoral Castle.

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The palace says the queen is “comfortable” and remains at Balmoral. Her son, Prince Charles, and grandson Prince William were traveling to be with her, officials said.

Truss — who was briefed on the news as she delivered a statement in the House of Commons — said “the whole country will be deeply concerned by the news from Buckingham Palace this lunchtime.”

“My thoughts — and the thoughts of people across our United Kingdom — are with Her Majesty The Queen and her family at this time,” she said on Twitter.

Elizabeth marked seven decades on the throne this year. She has increasingly handed over duties to her heir, Prince Charles, and other members of the royal family in recent months as she has struggled to get around.

LONDON, England —

King Charles III was officially announced as Britain's monarch Saturday, in a ceremony steeped in ancient tradition and political symbolism — and, for the first time, broadcast live.

Charles automatically became king when his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died on Thursday, but the accession ceremony is a key constitutional and ceremonial step in introducing the new monarch to the country.

The ceremony at St. James's Palace, a royal residence in London, is attended by the Accession Council, made up of senior politicians and officials who advise the monarch. They met without Charles, officially confirming his title, King Charles III. The king will then join them to make a series of oaths and declarations.

It's the first time the ceremony has been held since 1952, when Queen Elizabeth II took the throne.

Charles is accompanied at the ceremony by his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort, and his eldest son Prince William. William is now heir to the throne and known by the title Charles long held, Prince of Wales.

Video above: Timeline of King Charles III's life

After the ceremony, an official will read the proclamation aloud from a balcony at St. James's Palace. It will also be read out in the medieval City of London and at other locations across the U.K.

Two days after the 96-year-old queen died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland following an unprecedented 70 years on the throne, people still came in their thousands to pay their respects outside Buckingham Palace in London. The scene was repeated at other royal residences across the U.K. and at British embassies around the world.

The monarch set the tone for his reign on Friday, vowing in a televised address to carry on the queen's "lifelong service," with his own modernizing stamp.

Charles looked to both the past — noting his mother's unwavering "dedication and devotion as sovereign" — and the future, seeking to strike a reassuring note of constancy while signaling that his will be a 21st-century monarchy.

He reflected on how the country had changed dramatically during the queen's reign into a society "of many cultures and many faiths," and pledged to serve people in Britain and the 14 other countries where he is king "whatever may be your background or beliefs."

He also tried to overcome a reputation for aloofness in his first hours as monarch, spending time shaking hands with some of the thousands who came to leave flowers and pay tribute to the queen at the gates of Buckingham Palace. He was greeted with shouts of "Well done, Charlie!" and "God save the king!" One woman gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Britain is holding a period of mourning for the queen, with days of carefully choreographed ceremonies marking the death of the only monarch most people have ever known.

In the next few days the queen's body will be brought from Balmoral, first to Edinburgh and then to London, where she will lie in state before a funeral at Westminster Abbey, expected around Sept. 19.

In his speech, Charles struck a personal note, speaking of his sorrow at the loss of "my darling Mama."

"Thank you for your love and devotion to our family and to the family of nations you have served so diligently all these years," he said, ending with a quote from Shakespeare's "Hamlet" — "May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.'"

Cheering crowds greeted King Charles III on Tuesday in Northern Ireland on his tour of the four parts of the United Kingdom, where the visit drew a rare moment of unity from politicians in a region with a contested British and Irish identity that is deeply divided over the monarchy.

Hundreds of people lined the street leading to Hillsborough Castle near Belfast, the royal family's official residence in Northern Ireland, in the latest outpouring of affection following Queen Elizabeth II's death on Sept. 8. The area in front of the gates to the castle was carpeted with hundreds of floral tributes.

Charles and his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort, got out of their car to meet villagers — waving to the crowd and sometimes using both hands to reach out to people, including schoolchildren in bright blue uniforms.

Charles even petted a corgi — famously his late mother's favorite breed of dog — held up by one person, and some chanted "God save the king!"

"Today means so much to me and my family, just to be present in my home village with my children to witness the arrival of the new king is a truly historic moment for us all," said Hillsborough resident Robin Campbell as he waited for Charles.

But he added: "It is also a day tinged with great sadness as we witness a loving son coming to our village while we are all in mourning for the loss of a truly magnificent queen and his loving mother."

While there was a warm welcome in Hillsborough, the British monarchy draws mixed emotions in Northern Ireland, where there are two main communities: mostly Protestant unionists who consider themselves British and largely Roman Catholic nationalists who see themselves as Irish.

Video above: Queen Elizabeth's hearse arrives in Edinburgh

That split fueled three decades of violence known as "the Troubles" involving paramilitary groups on both sides and U.K. security forces, in which 3,600 people died. The royal family was touched personally by the violence: Lord Louis Mountbatten, a cousin of the queen and a much-loved mentor to Charles, was killed by an Irish Republican Army bomb in 1979.

A deep sectarian divide remains, a quarter century after Northern Ireland's 1998 peace agreement.

For some Irish nationalists, the British monarch represents an oppressive foreign power. But others acknowledge the queen's role in forging peace. On a visit to Northern Ireland in 2012, she shook hands with Sinn Fein deputy leader Martin McGuinness, a former IRA commander – a once-unthinkable moment of reconciliation.

Alex Maskey, a Sinn Fein politician who is speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, said the queen had "demonstrated how individual acts of positive leadership can help break down barriers and encourage reconciliation."

In a sign of how far Northern Ireland has come on the road to peace, representatives of Sinn Fein are attending commemorative events for the queen and meeting the king on Tuesday.

Maskey expressed condolences to the king at an event in Hillsborough Castle attended by leaders from all the main political parties in Northern Ireland.

Charles responded that his mother "felt deeply, I know, the significance of the role she herself played in bringing together those whom history had separated, and in extending a hand to make possible the healing of long-held hurts."

He said he would draw on his mother's "shining example" and "seek the welfare of all the inhabitants of Northern Ireland."

Still, not everyone was welcoming the new king.

On the Falls Road in Belfast, a nationalist stronghold, several walls are decorated with murals of Bobby Sands, an IRA member who died while on a hunger strike in prison in 1981, and others killed in the Troubles.

"No, he's not our king. Bobby Sands was our king here," said 52-year-old Bobby Jones. "Queen never done nothing for us. Never did. None of the royals do."

Later, Charles and Northern Ireland politicians are to attend a "service of reflection" for the queen at St. Anne's Cathedral in Belfast.

The president and prime minister of the neighboring Republic of Ireland also are due to attend, despite tense relations between Dublin and London over Brexit. Since Britain left the European Union in 2020, the U.K. and the EU have been wrangling over trade rules for Northern Ireland, the only part of the U.K. that shares a border with a member of the bloc.

On Monday night, Charles and siblings Anne, Andrew and Edward briefly stood vigil around their mother's flag-draped coffin in St. Giles Cathedral as members of the public filed past.

Video above: King Charles says he feels the 'weight of history'

The following morning, a man wearing a suit adorned with medals stood silently, bowed his head and moved on. A woman dabbed away tears with a handkerchief. Another woman with two young children in school uniforms walked slowly past the coffin.

In the line of mourners outside the cathedral in the historic heart of Edinburgh, Sheila McLeay called the queen "a wonderful ambassador for our country."

"She was such an example for every single one of us. She was dignified. She was just, she was beautiful inside and out. And I have known her all of my life. And I miss her very much," she added.

The queen's coffin was scheduled to leave Scotland later Tuesday to be flown back to London and driven to her official London home, Buckingham Palace. On Wednesday, it will be taken through central London to Parliament, where the queen will lie in state until her funeral in Westminster Abbey on Monday. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to line up to pay their last respects at the coffin.

The Royal Air Force C-17 Globemaster that will carry the coffin has been used to evacuate people from Afghanistan and to take humanitarian aid and weapons to Ukraine following Russia's invasion, U.K. Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston said.

Early Tuesday, scores of workers cleaned litter and weeds from the road from the air force base where the plane carrying the coffin will land.

Video above: Who is and who is not attending the Queen’s funeral

Flights to and from London's Heathrow Airport on the day of the Queen's funeral are being canceled or re-timed "as a mark of respect" to the late monarch.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the U.K.'s busiest airport confirmed that it would be making "appropriate changes" to operations "in order to avoid noise disruption" during Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral at Westminster Abbey and the Committal Service at Windsor Castle on Monday.

U.K.'s national carrier British Airways has already canceled 50 flights short-haul on Monday, while Virgin Atlantic has canceled four U.S. flights to and from Heathrow Airport.

The operational changes, likely to impact thousands of passengers, have been put in place to ensure "quiet skies" during specific times during the day, and will affect about 15% of Heathrow's schedule.

There will be no aircraft movement at the airport for 30 minutes from 11:40 a.m. and 12:10 p.m (GMT) to ensure that there is no disruption during a two-minute silence at the end of the funeral is not disrupted.

'Quiet skies'

Arrivals to Heathrow will also be halted from 1:45 p.m. and 2:20 p.m. "to ensure silence during the ceremonial procession" (GMT,) and there are to be no departures for one hour and 40 minutes from 3:05 p.m. (GMT) as the ceremonial procession approaches Windsor Castle for the interment.

Meanwhile, departures are to be "reduced" from 4:45 p.m. to 9 p.m. during the committal service at St George's Chapel.

"In order to observe these moments on Monday, airlines will need to adjust their schedules accordingly, which will mean some changes to flights," reads a statement from Heathrow.

Video below: Mourners pay respects as queen lies in state

"Passengers affected by these changes will be contacted directly by their airlines about their travel plans and the options available to them."

Flights will also be diverted around Windsor Castle, located around 12 miles from Heathrow, on the day "to minimize noise during the private family service and interment."

Meanwhile, Virgin Atlantic has stressed that while "the vast majority" of flights are scheduled to operate as normal, there will be some adjustments to "accommodate restrictions" during the state funeral and committal ceremony.

A number of shops at Heathrow Airport will also be shutting their doors on Monday, which has been declared a public holiday in the U.K.

"As a mark of respect for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the day of her State Funeral, we have reduced our schedule and re-timed some flights at Heathrow to ensure the skies are quiet at certain moments on Monday September 19th," reads a statement from British Airways.

Video below: Royals walk behind Queen's coffin in Edinburgh

"Our thoughts remain with the Royal Family and the nation."

CNN has contacted Heathrow Airport for further comment.

LONDON —

In retrospect, it seems as if she was preparing us all along.

Whether it was due to age, ill health or a sense that the end was near, Queen Elizabeth II spent much of the last two years tying up loose ends, trying to make sure the family firm would keep ticking along after her death.

The transition began slowly, with the queen turning over more public duties to her son and heir, now King Charles III, as she entered her twilight years. But it moved into overdrive in 2022 as Elizabeth celebrated 70 years on the throne. First she expressed her wish that Charles' wife, Camilla, be known as queen consort after her death, and then the future king took center stage during four days of Platinum Jubilee festivities.

"Elizabeth II was preparing the ground for the succession,'' historian Ed Owens said. "We saw a lot more of Charles in the last 10 years stepping in for his mother in a number of key situations at key public events. And that, I think, was partly intentional in that the monarch … wanted her son to sort of gravitate naturally into the limelight, to make this seem as best as possible as though it was a seamless transition.''

Charles' increased role began gradually when the queen began cutting back on long-haul flights, resulting in the then Prince of Wales taking her place at a 2013 Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Sri Lanka.

The queen became head of the Commonwealth, a grouping of 54 independent countries with links to the former British Empire, when she ascended the throne and championed its role in world affairs throughout her reign.

In 2018, Elizabeth expressed her "sincere wish" that Charles would follow her as head of the Commonwealth and its leaders agreed.

The previous year, Charles represented the queen at the annual Remembrance Day ceremony honoring the nation's war dead, laying the monarch's wreath at the foot of the Cenotaph in London. It was the first time the queen hadn't performed the solemn ritual, marked by columns of aging veterans marching past the monument, other than when she was pregnant or out of the country.

But what had been a subtle shift became more obvious after the coronavirus pandemic led Elizabeth to take refuge at Windsor Castle outside London and the death of her husband, Prince Philip, reminded the nation of the queen's mortality.

That was underscored by the image of Elizabeth, her face hidden behind a black mask, sitting alone in St. George's Chapel as she mourned the loss of the man who had been her "strength and stay" for over 73 years.

On the anniversary of her accession to the throne in February, the queen moved to end the long-running controversy over the status of Charles' wife.

Camilla has been a divisive figure in Britain because her long-term relationship with Charles was blamed for the breakdown of his first marriage to the widely beloved Princess Diana. The mother of Princes William and Harry died in a Paris car crash in 1997, five years after her messy split with Charles.

When Charles married Camilla in 2005, he made it known that he wanted his wife to become queen when he ascended the throne. Diana's fans objected, saying it would dishonor the princess.

But the public attitude toward Camilla, 75, has warmed in recent years as she took on roles at more than 100 charities, focusing on issues ranging from literacy to domestic violence. Her down-to-earth style and sense of humor have softened Charles' stuffy image and made him appear more relaxed.

When the queen weighed in on Feb. 6., she obliquely recognized that her reign would come to an end.

"When, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes king, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me," she said. "And it is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as queen consort as she continues her own loyal service."

Video: King Charles, Prince William greet mourners

Late last year, Elizabeth was seen using a walking stick for the first time, and in April she revealed that a bout with COVID-19 had left her feeling "very tired and exhausted."

In May, the queen delegated one of her most important public duties to Charles, asking him to preside over the state opening of Parliament and deliver the annual Queen's Speech laying out the government's legislative program.

The event is a symbol of the monarch's constitutional role as head of state and is accompanied by centuries of tradition designed to demonstrate the strength of Britain's political institutions.

When it came time for the Platinum Jubilee, the palace let it be known that the queen's ongoing "mobility issues" would limit her role.

Instead, Charles took center stage.

He donned full military uniform to review the troops during the queen's ceremonial birthday parade, sat in the position of honor at the front of St. Paul's Cathedral for a service celebrating her reign and led salutes to his mother at a gala concert, appearing with Camilla by his side.

After her death, Charles and Camilla were greeted warmly by crowds of mourners outside Buckingham Palace, with the new monarch shaking hands and chatting with well-wishers who broke into a chorus of "God Save the King."

The reaction, and Charles' first days in his new role, suggest that the public is, at least for now, on board, former BBC royal correspondent Michael Cole said this week outside the palace.

"Look at the thousands of people who have come here of their own accord,'' he said, waving a hand at the crowds. "They're not being bused in. They're not being ordered to be here. They're not being given little flags to wave. This is not North Korea. This is not a parade for Putin in Red Square. These people have come to express their respect for the dead queen and show, a very big word, affection."

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Follow AP's coverage of Queen Elizabeth II and other stories on the British monarch at https://apnews.com/hub/queen-elizabeth-ii

LONDON, England —

Britain and the world are laying Queen Elizabeth II to rest on Monday at a state funeral that will draw presidents and kings, princes and prime ministers — and up to a million people lining the streets of London to say a final goodbye to a monarch whose 70-year reign defined an age.

All updates are in EST.

3:35 a.m.

Mourners are arriving at Westminster Abbey to take their seats for Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral service.

Guests began entering the Gothic medieval abbey shortly after 8 a.m. (0700 GMT; 3 a.m. EDT) on Monday.

Dignitaries were arriving later, with many heads of state gathering at a nearby hospital to be driven by bus to the abbey.

Westminster Abbey is where Elizabeth was married in 1947 and crowned in 1953.

A day packed with funeral events in London and Windsor began early when the doors of 900-year-old Westminster Hall were closed to mourners after hundreds of thousands had filed in front of her coffin since Sept 14.

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Read the original story below:

A day packed with funeral events in London and Windsor began early when the doors of 900-year-old Westminster Hall were closed to mourners after hundreds of thousands had filed in front of her coffin since Sept 14. Many of them had spent cold nights outdoors to pay their respects around the queen’s flag-draped coffin in a moving outpouring of national grief and respect.

The closing of the hall marked the end of more than four days of the coffin lying in state and the start of the U.K.’s first state funeral since the one held in 1965 for Winston Churchill, the first of 15 prime ministers during Elizabeth's reign. Two days before her Sept. 8 death at her Balmoral summer retreat, the queen appointed her last prime minister, Liz Truss.

Among the last mourners to join the line to see the coffin was Tracy Dobson from Hertfordshire, just north of London.

"I felt like I had to come and pay my final respects to our majestic queen, she has done so much for us and just a little thank you really from the people,” she said.

Monday has been declared a public holiday in honor of Elizabeth, who died Sept. 8 at 96. Her funeral will be broadcast live to more than 200 countries and territories worldwide and screened to crowds in parks and public spaces across the U.K.

Police officers from around the country will be on duty as part of the biggest one-day policing operation in London’s history.

On the evening before the funeral, King Charles III issued a message of thanks to people in the U.K. and around the world, saying he and his wife Camilla, the queen consort, have been “moved beyond measure” by the large numbers of people who have turned out to pay their respects to the queen.

“As we all prepare to say our last farewell, I wanted simply to take this opportunity to say thank you to all those countless people who have been such a support and comfort to my family and myself in this time of grief,” he said.

For the funeral, Elizabeth's coffin will be taken from Westminster Hall, across the road to Westminster Abbey, on a royal gun carriage drawn by 142 Royal Navy sailors. The same carriage was used to carry the coffins of late kings Edward VII, George V and George VI, and of Churchill.

Video below: Biden pays tribute to queen's 'notion of service'

The service, in the Gothic medieval abbey where Elizabeth was married in 1947 and crowned in 1953, will be attended by 2,000 people ranging from world leaders to health care workers and volunteers.

Mourners started arriving to take their seats shortly after 8 a.m. (0700 GMT; 3 a.m. EDT). Dignitaries were arriving later, with many heads of state gathering at a nearby hospital to be driven by bus to the abbey.

The funeral will end with two minutes of silence followed by the national anthem and a piper’s lament, before the queen’s coffin is taken in a procession ringed by units of the armed forces in dress uniforms, with the queen's children walking behind, to Wellington Arch near Hyde Park.

There, it will be placed in a hearse to be driven to Windsor for another procession along the Long Walk, a three-mile (five-kilometer) avenue leading to the town’s castle, before a committal service in St. George’s Chapel. She will then be laid to rest with her late husband, Prince Philip, at a private family service.

Central London was already packed before dawn Monday with people seeking out a prime viewing spot, and authorities warned that it would be extremely busy.

U.S. President Joe Biden was among leaders to pay their respects at the queen's coffin on Sunday as thousands of police, hundreds of British troops and an army of officials made final preparations for the funeral — a spectacular display of national mourning that will also be the biggest gathering of world leaders for years.

Biden called Queen Elizabeth II “decent” and “honorable” and “all about service” as he signed the condolence book, saying his heart went out to the royal family.

People across Britain paused for a minute of silence at 8 p.m. Sunday in memory of the only monarch most have ever known. At Westminster Hall, the constant stream of mourners paused for 60 seconds as people observed the minute of reflection in deep silence.

In Windsor, rain began to fall as the crowd fell silent for the moment of reflection. Some set up small camps and chairs outside Windsor Castle, spending the night there to reserve the best spots to view the queen’s coffin when it arrives.

“It will all be worth it by 4 o’clock this afternoon,” said Sally McCloud, a business manager from nearby Maidenhead. "We’re all here for one reason, whether it be raining or not raining. So I’m quite happy to be here and got a little bit of sleep. I’ve had a nice cup of coffee this morning and we’ll just wait, wait in the rain.”

Fred Sweeney, 52, who kitted out his spot with two Union flags on large flagpoles, said “it’s just one night and day of our lives. Elizabeth gave us – you know – 70 years.”

One no-show for Monday's funeral will be Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whose invitation drew criticism from human rights groups because of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. Saudi Arabia is expected to be represented by another royal, Prince Turki bin Mohammed.

LONDON — Queen Elizabeth II will mark 70 years on the throne Sunday.

This marks the British monarch’s Platinum Jubilee, which refers to a 70^th anniversary among monarchies.

Only 15 other monarchs around the world have celebrated a Platinum Jubilee in the last 1,000 years.

Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor became the queen of Britain in 1952 after her father King George VI died.

She was not originally expected to be queen.

However, her uncle and brother to King George, King Edward VIII gave up the possibility of someday being king so he could marry an American divorcee, Wallis Simpson.

The queen will mark Accession Day on Sunday in private, as is tradition.

The anniversary will be celebrated over the course of four days in June, with a series of national events.

Queen Elizabeth has met 13 U.S. presidents during her time on the throne.

She is not only Britain’s longest-serving monarch but the world’s oldest and longest-reigning current monarch as well.

It has been almost three decades since the Queen memorably summed up 1992 by calling it her “annus horribilis.”

However, that famous phrase has enjoyed something of a revival for a full three years now as 2019, 2020 and 2021 all saw the monarch grapple with repeated setbacks, loss and controversy.

Related video above: Royal Astrologer Predicts Meghan Markle Has a Big Year Ahead

So much so that we now begin 2022 with the notion that significant, often bitter, family divisions and a disgraced Prince facing sex abuse allegations are now an established part of the British royal story.

At the same time, the 95-year-old sovereign, who has commanded so much respect for steadily steering the ship for decades, has lost her “strength and stay” and been forced to take her biggest step back so far from public life.

Yet, 2022 is gearing up to see the monarchy at the center of nationwide celebrations as Britain marks one of the most significant milestones in royal history.

The queen reaching 70 years on the throne–a landmark she will pass in the early hours of Feb. 6, 2022—makes her the first British monarch ever to have a Platinum Jubilee. The central celebrations, planned for an extended weekend in June, have been billed by organizers as a “reopening ceremony” for the U.K. following COVID-19.

However, just as the pandemic brings us repeated twists and turns that make large-scale gatherings an uncertainty, the monarchy also faces challenges that were not there when flags waved for the Diamond Jubilee a decade earlier.

Exactly how visible the queen will be during the events remains unknown after she canceled multiple appearances at the end of 2021 when doctors told her to rest. While there will undoubtedly be a huge desire from many to celebrate her regardless of how much she can be seen, if she is too unwell to take part it will mark another turning point.

But while everyone is hoping that the queen will make it onto the Buckingham Palace balcony in June, the same cannot be said for her third child, Prince Andrew. The final days of 2021 saw him make headlines once again as his friend Ghislaine Maxwell was found guilty of five out of the six charges in her sex trafficking trial.

While the Duke of York was hardly mentioned in the trial and faces no criminal charges, the result undoubtedly turns up the heat on the pending civil case against him brought by Virginia Giuffre who has accused the Prince of sexual abuse. Andrew is expected to find out this month whether the case will be thrown out (as his legal team have requested) or proceed to trial in New York.

No one is more acutely aware of the challenges facing the royal family than the two future kings, Prince Charles and Prince William. With William and Kate enjoying significant popularity with the British public and Charles and Camilla having successfully established acceptance as a couple on the world stage, the senior working royals will continue to fly the flag in 2022.

A visit across the pond could also be a possibility for Prince Harry and Meghan next year for the central jubilee celebrations, although nothing has been confirmed or announced regarding attendance in June. However, regardless of whether they are able to be there or not, there is no getting away from the fact that much of the narrative around the events will refer to the fractured family dynamics that have played out so publicly in the past few years.

After three years of challenges, 2022 has the potential to be a turning point for the royal family. But the jury is out on which direction things will take.

LONDON —

Queen Elizabeth II attended a double christening on Sunday for two of her great-grandchildren.

The 95-year-old British monarch, who has canceled several recent public appearances on her doctors' advice, watched the baptisms of August, son of Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank, and Lucas Philip, son of Zara Tindall and her husband Mike Tindall.

The private service at the Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, west of London, was attended by members of the royal family and close friends.

August was born in February and Lucas in March. Both boys' mothers are granddaughters of the queen.

The queen has 12 great-grandchildren, the youngest of them 2-month-old Sienna Elizabeth, daughter of Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.

Concerns about the monarch's health were raised last month, when she spent a night in a London hospital after being admitted for medical tests. In late October, palace officials said the monarch had been told by doctors to rest for two weeks and only take on light duties.

She had planned to attend the annual Remembrance Sunday service on Nov. 14 but pulled out at the last minute after spraining her back.

On Wednesday she returned to public duties, holding an in-person audience at Windsor Castle with the outgoing head of Britain's armed forces.

Elizabeth is Britain's longest-lived and longest-reigning monarch. She is due to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee - marking 70 years on the throne - next year.

LONDON —

Queen Elizabeth II has reluctantly accepted medical advice to rest for a few days and has canceled a trip to Northern Ireland, Buckingham Palace said Wednesday.

The palace didn't offer specifics on the decision, but says the 95-year-old monarch 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" on Wednesday and Thursday.

The palace added that she "sends her warmest good wishes to the people of Northern Ireland, and looks forward to visiting in the future.''

The decision comes just days after Elizabeth was seen using a walking stick at a major public event when attending a Westminster Abbey service marking the centenary of the Royal British Legion, an armed forces charity.

She had previously been photographed using a cane in 2003, but that was after she underwent knee surgery.