Queen Elizabeth has attended church near her rural Sandringham estate, after missing the previous two Sundays due to ill health.

The 90-year-old monarch was applauded by well-wishers as she arrived by car at St. Mary Magdalene Church in eastern England. It was her first public appearance in several weeks.

The Queen is a regular churchgoer, but missed the Christmas Day service for the first time in decades due to what Buckingham Palace said was a heavy cold.

She also did not attend on New Year's Day as she continued to recover.

The Queen — Britain's longest-reigning monarch — has generally been in good health in recent years, although she has cut down on travel and public appearances as she enters her 10th decade.