The 96-year-old monarch had been due to attend the Highland Games event during her summer break at Balmoral, but now royal sources have suggested she has decided to bow out of attending due to her mobility problems with Charles, Prince Of Wales still scheduled to appear.

A palace insider told The Mirror: "The decision has been made for The Queen's comfort."

It comes after it was confirmed the Queen will receive the new UK Prime Minster at Balmoral. The monarch arrived at her Scottish residence in July but would typically have been expected to interrupt her 10-week annual summer holiday to return to either Buckingham Palace in London or Windsor Castle to officially accept Boris Johnson's resignation and to welcome either Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak into office.

However, a royal spokesperson confirmed that, for the first time ever, the politicians will travel to Aberdeenshire for the official meetings. The representative said: "The Queen will receive Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday September 6 at Balmoral, followed by an audience with the new PM."

The decision was announced ahead of time in order to provide certainty for the Prime Minister's diary, it is believed. It had originally been planned for the meetings to take place at Windsor Castle, which has been the queen's primary residence since the COVID-19 pandemic hit. According to insiders, it is very rare for a monarch not to appoint a new Prime Minister at either Windsor or Buckingham Palace.