Queen Elizabeth II cancels visit to Wales due to minor illness

USPA News - Queen Elizabeth II is experiencing symptoms of a stomach bug, forcing her to cancel a scheduled visit to Wales where she was due to celebrate St. David`s Day, the royal palace said on late Friday. It has been described by officials as a relatively minor illness.

Buckingham Palace said the queen, who is 86, would be unable to visit the coastal city of Swansea in Wales because she is experiencing symptoms of gastroenteritis. "She will be assessed in the coming days," a statement said, adding that she would spend the weekend at Windsor Castle in southern England. No other details were immediately released about the queen`s condition, but city officials in Swansea described it as a minor illness. Gastroenteritis is relatively common and symptoms typically last between 12 and 48 hours, but it is unusual for the queen to cancel an official engagement. Saturday`s events in Swansea continued as planned despite the queen`s absence. It is unclear if the queen`s illness will affect her two-day trip to the Italian capital of Rome, where she is scheduled to arrive on Wednesday. The queen, along with her husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, had planned the visit after receiving an invitation from Italian President Giorgio Napolitano. Elizabeth II is the queen regnant of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda and Saint Kitts and Nevis.