Will the Queen's Christmas speech still take place despite her failing health?

Buckingham Palace confirm that Elizabeth II's speech was recorded before she fell ill.

As the Queen cancelled her travel plans to Sandringham House on Wednesday (21 December) ahead of the official royal Christmas celebrations due to ill health, many wondered if her speech on Sunday would be rescheduled.

Elizabeth II – who is suffering from a 'heavy cold' along with husband Prince Philip – has already recorded her annual Christmas speech, Buckingham Palace has confirmed.

The Palace was due to provide an update on the health of the two senior royals and whether they still planned to spend Christmas time at the Sandringham estate in Norfolk with other members of the British Royal Family.

A Palace spokesperson told IBTimes UK on Wednesday: "The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh have heavy colds, and so have decided not to travel to Sandringham today."

Today, a spokesperson confirmed that the Queen's Christmas speech will be aired as usual at 3pm, stating: "It is recorded sometime in advance."

The Queen's arrival at King's Lynn is the official start of Christmas for millions across Britain, and police and station staff awaited the arrival of the royal party on Wednesday morning.

Approximately half an hour before she was due to leave, they suddenly told waiting photographers: "It's not happening now."

The Queen's decision to cancel her travel plans came a day after Buckingham Palace announced she was stepping down from being patron of 25 national organisations in order to lighten her workload.

The Queen and the 95-year-old duke were gathered by family members on Tuesday (20 December) when they hosted their annual Christmas lunch for their relatives at Buckingham Palace.