Queen Elizabeth Cancels Thanksgiving Service Attendance With 'Great Reluctance' Amid 'Discomfort'

Queen Elizabeth is taking a break amid her four-day Platinum Jubilee celebration after experiencing "some discomfort," the palace announced Thursday.

After making an appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony Thursday during the Trooping the Colour, the 96-year-old monarch made the decision to pull out of the National Service of Thanksgiving to be held in her honor at St. Paul's Cathedral in London Friday with "great reluctance," the palace said in a statement to Us Weekly.

But she is still participating in a beacon lighting ceremony Thursday evening, according to the statement.

"The Queen greatly enjoyed today's Birthday Parade and flypast but did experience some discomfort," the palace stated. "Taking into account the journey and activity required to participate in tomorrow’s National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral, Her Majesty with great reluctance has concluded that she will not attend."

The announcement continued, "The Queen is looking forward to participating in tonight’s Beacon lighting event at Windsor Castle and would like to thank all those who made today such a memorable occasion."

The Queen celebrated her annual birthday parade Thursday, watching the Trooping the Colour in London with her loved ones from the palace balcony. She was joined by Prince Charles, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince William, Kate Middleton and their three children — Prince George, 8, Princess Charlotte, 7, and Prince Louis, 4.

Queen Elizabeth's episodic mobility issues flared during the course of the day on Thursday, an unnamed insider told People.

The royal matriarch is not expected to attend all the events of her Platinum Jubilee, which celebrates her 70 years on the throne.

Weeks before the festivities began, an unnamed source told Us Weekly that Queen Elizabeth "has been advised by her loved ones and trusted advisors to go a lot easier on herself, even if it means missing more functions than she would like."

"Her attendance at these events is being handled on a case-by-case basis, so if she isn't 100% on any given day that she's due to be somewhere in person then she turns the duties over to someone else, be that Prince Charles or another serving senior royal who's available to handle matters in her stead," the source continued.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who returned to the U.K. Wednesday, were present during the Trooping the Colour. However, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex didn't make an appearance on the palace balcony and instead watched the Royal Air Force flyover from the Major General's Office.

The couple's children — Archie, 3, and Lilibet, 11 months — were not photographed at the Thursday event, but the kids are expected to attend the service Friday.