The Princess Royal moved to allay fears about the Queen Elizabeth II's health by insisting she was feeling better, despite the absence of her Majesty for the second successive Sunday from attending church.  

Concerns for Her Majesty significantly grows since her absence from joining the Royal Family at church on Christmas Day for the first time in 28 years due to a heavy cold.

Her absence from the New Year's Day service came after Buckingham Palace announced she "does not yet feel ready to attend church as she is still recuperating from a heavy cold".

According to The Telegraph, it is rare for Her Majesty to miss any public appearance because she is blessed with such robust health, and her continued absence had led questions around the world about the extent of her illness.

The Princess Royal said Her Majesty is "better" when asked by a member of the public while her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Lawrence said "Not too bad". The Duke of Edinburgh looked anything but worried, smiling at wellwishers and jokes about the weather as he attended the New Year service.

Since December 9, the Queen has not been photographed when she attended a function at Buckhingham Palace, and will not and will not now be seen in public until at least next Sunday, when she will again be due to attend St Mary Magdalene Church, 400 yards from Sandringham House.

It will be the first time in a month that she has been photographed, if she does make an appearance. Though royal sources have insisted she is "up and about", Her Majesty has stayed indoors for almost a fortnight,

A particular nasty cold strain was hitting people of all ages this winter, taking three weeks to clear, said Clare Gerada, former head of the Royal College of General Practitioners. Gerada explained that "an awful lot of people this winter with a virus that is more severe than a normal cold, almost a type of bronchitis."

"It is causing a hacking cough and if the Queen has got it, then she is probably exhausted from coughing. It may well be affecting her sleep as well, which would leave anyone feeling exhausted, never mind a 90-year-old.

She also said that it is taking three to four weeks for people to completely recover, and the length of time Her Majesty has been ill would be in keeping with that."

Her Majesty first started feeling unwell before Christmas, and had cancelled her planned train journey from London to Sandringham on December 20. She and Duke of Edinburgh, who was also feeling ill that time, flew to Norfolk by helicopter on December 21 instead.

The Duke, 95, had recovered sufficiently by Christmas Day to walk to church and was accompanied in the car by the Countess of Wessex.