For the first time in nearly 30 years, British monarch, Queen Elizabeth, yesterday missed the traditional  church service at Sandringham owing to cold
According to the Telegraph, London, the 90-year-old monarch had attended the annual service ever since the Royal family began visiting Sandringham in 1988. Before then, the family stayed at Windsor for Christmas.
Yesterday morning, Prince Charles, The Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Harry, the Earl of Wessex and Prince Andrew were seen making their way from Sandringham House to the service.
Hundreds of people had gathered outside the church, with some fans arriving before dawn.
The Queen and Prince Philip, 95, were stuck down with colds earlier this week and had to delay the departure of their holiday by 24 hours.
Buckingham Palace revealed on Wednesday the royal couple had both come down with “heavy colds,” leading to the last minute postponement of their annual trip.
While the Queen usually takes the train every year to her Norfolk estate, the pair made the 100-mile journey by helicopter, with Royal aides suggesting that it had turned out to be the most practical method of travelling at short notice.
In a statement issued yesterday morning, a Palace spokesman said: “Her Majesty The Queen will not attend Church at Sandringham this morning (yesterday). 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 spokesman also said the Queen had no public engagements over the holiday period, giving her a chance to recover.
A royal source told The Telegraph: “The Queen is still recovering from her cold.
“She will be up and about and taking part in Christmas, she just isn’t going outside.”
Meanwhile, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their two children were seen arriving at St Mark’s Church in Englefield, Berkshire, yesterday morning.
In a break from tradition, the couple are spending Christmas with Kate’s parents, Michael and Carol Middleton.