Queen misses Sandringham WI meeting due to cold

The Queen has missed her yearly date with her local Women's Institute as she is suffering from a cold.

She had been expected to arrive at the Sandringham branch meeting at West Newton Village Hall in Norfolk on Thursday afternoon.

But a member of her security team told people who had gathered for the event that she was "not feeling up to it".

This year's guest speaker, BBC News At Ten Presenter Huw Edwards, had already arrived at the venue.

Last year when the Queen visited the WI, her team won a version of TV quiz show Pointless hosted by guest speaker Alexander Armstrong.

The Queen joined the Sandringham branch of the WI in 1943 when she was still Princess Elizabeth, and attends each year as part of her winter stay in Norfolk.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Edwards said it was "daunting and exciting in equal measure" to have been invited to talk at the event.

"I'm not quite decided yet on what the ultimate message will be but I'd like to talk a little bit about the business I'm in and the way it's changed over the years and what the challenges are now in terms of journalism and broadcasting," he said.

"Maybe that sounds a bit serious but I'll try to do something along those lines."

Members welcome a different guest speaker each year to enjoy tea, cakes and the company of Britain's longest-serving monarch.