London, May 30 (IANS) The British Queen will not be attending the Commonwealth Games (CWG) to be held in India Oct 3-14, an official said.

The queen will not be attending the event for the first time in over 40 years. Prince Charles will be representing the royal family instead.

Daily Mail reported Sunday that Queen Elizabeth won’t be able to attend the event due to heavy workload. It is perhaps for the first time since 1966 that the Queen will not be attending.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said the Queen had a packed schedule of appointments and it did not include a visit to Delhi in October.

‘It is correct to say that the Queen will not be attending the Commonwealth Games this year. The sheer volume of engagements this autumn, coupled with other overseas visits, means she would not be able to attend,’ the spokesperson was quoted as saying.

The CWG is a multinational, multi-sport event that features competitions involving thousands of sportspersons from member-states.

This is the first time that India is hosting the Games and only the second time it is being held in Asia.