London, May 30 (IANS) The British Queen will not attend the Commonwealth Games (CWG) to be held in India Oct 3-14, breaking a more than 40-year-old tradition.
Prince Charles will be representing the royal family instead, an official said.
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, which 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 media report cited the British High Commission in Delhi as saying that it was delighted Prince Charles would represent the Queen at the opening ceremony Oct 3.
In her speech to open the Melbourne Games in 2006, the Queen called the Commonwealth Games a ‘great sporting celebration’.
‘The Commonwealth Games are both a product of our unique organisation as well as a tangible example of the value of this partnership of peoples,’ she said.
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.
