Britain's Queen Elizabeth II records her address to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the coronavirus outbreak at Windsor Castle, west of London. Photo: AFP

Queen Elizabeth II on Sunday missed the annual Remembrance service at the Cenotaph with a "sprained back," further stoking fears for her health after she was forced to cancel a series of engagements on medical advice.

The ceremony, honoring the sacrifice of British and Commonwealth service personnel and veterans in conflicts since World War I, had been due to be the 95-year-old monarch's first planned public appearance since she was forced to rest.

But just hours before the solemn ceremony at the Cenotaph war memorial in central London, Buckingham Palace announced she would not attend.

"The Queen, having sprained her back, has decided this morning with great regret that she will not be able to attend today's Remembrance Sunday Service at the Cenotaph," a statement said.

"Her Majesty is disappointed that she will miss the service."

Her eldest son and heir Prince Charles - who turned 73 on Sunday - placed a wreath on her behalf, as he has done since 2017 after a two-minute silence.

It is only the seventh time the Queen has missed the service in almost 70 years on the throne, with the previous six due to either pregnancy or foreign visits.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson later sought to allay public fears, saying he had an audience with her on Wednesday. "She was very well," he told a news conference.

At a public event in Brixton, south London, on Thursday, one onlooker asked Prince Charles: "How is your mother?"

"She's alright," he said in reply.

AFP