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The Queen and Prince Philip have postponed plans for their traditional Christmas break at Sandringham after they both fell ill with heavy colds.

The 90-year-old monarch and her husband had been expected to take a train from London to King's Lynn in Norfolk today.

However, they decided to delay their travel at the last minute.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman confirmed the couple had fallen ill.

He said: "The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have heavy colds, and so have decided not to travel to Sandringham today."

It comes a day after the Queen stepped down as patron of 25 charities with younger royals stepping up to fill in the roles.

(Image: PA)

The move was seen as a common-sense decision which acknowledges the Queen's advancing years.

However, Buckingham Palace stressed the monarch is still patron of around 600 national organisations.

Traditionally, Her Majesty has spent Christmas at the estate in Norfolk, travelling on the same first-class service from King's Cross.

The Queen traditionally travels in a cordoned-off area of the 10.44am train on December 21.

She then travels by car from King's Lynn station to the estate.

There was a heavy police presence at the London station this morning ahead of the royal party's expected arrival.

But about 30 minutes before she was due to arrive, assembled photographers were told: "It's not happening now."

The Queen traditionally spends the festive period with the Royal family at Sandringham House, which sits at the heart of the 8,000-hectare estate.

The Royals attend a Christmas Day service St Mary Magdalene Church, with hundreds of well-wishers gathering to catch a glimpse of the family as arrive.

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Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge will not be spending Christmas at Sandringham this year and will instead spend it with the Middletons.

The royal couple will take their two children George, three, and Charlotte, 18 months, to stay with Kate's parents at their Georgian mansion in Bucklebury, Berkshire.

It means that those keenly anticipating seeing Prince George make his first walk to church on Christmas morning will have to wait for at least another year.

(Image: PA)

It is the second time since being married into the Royal Family that Kate has spent Christmas with her own parents and a break from convention where spouses of royals have historically been expected to join Sandringham festivities every year.

It also means the royals will be one player down in their annual charity football match played against Sandringham staff and friends on Christmas Eve.

Prince Harry is expected to attend the Sandringham festivities - but he will be without his girlfriend, actress Meghan Markle, who is understood to be planing Christmas in her native LA with her mother.

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Other royals joining The Queen and Prince Philip at Sandringham include Zara Tindall, who is pregnant with her second child.

She will be joined by husband and former England rugby union star Mike and daughter Mia, although two-year-old Mia is not expected to join the royals at church.

Prince Charles and Camilla are also expected to be there, as well as Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, along with their children.

(Image: PA)

The Queen held her annual Christmas lunch with the Royal Family at Buckingham Palace yesterday.

The lunch is traditionally the largest gathering of the royals.

The monarch this week retired from 25 of her 600 patronages, with younger royals stepping up to fill roles at organisations including Wimbledon, Barnardo's, Save the Children UK and the NSPCC.

Despite their advancing years, the Queen and the Duke, 95, appear to remain in good health and have missed few official engagements in recent years due to illness.

The Queen was treated for the symptoms of gastroenteritis in 2013 and stayed overnight in a private hospital being assessed by doctors, and cancelled an official trip to Rome.

(Image: WireImage)

And in June last year Buckingham Palace took the unusual step of confirming the Queen's visit to a private hospital for a routine medical check-up following speculation on social media about the state of her health.

Philip joked about his good health last month during a visit with the Queen to London's Francis Crick Institute - a major biomedical research centre - where he asked a flu expert: "Why haven't I had flu for the last 40 years?"

In May an undisclosed minor ailment forced the Duke to miss commemorations marking the anniversary of the First World War Battle of Jutland in Orkney.