Angela Merkel appears on crutches after skiing accident German Chancellor Angela Merkel appeared in public on crutches on Tuesday for the first time since it emerged she had fractured her pelvis in a ski accident, to join children for carol singing. Smiling broadly and looking relaxed, the 59-year-old chancellor, dressed in a smart teal jacket and dark trousers, negotiated a few steps to stand, leaning on her two crutches, among the 100 or so youngsters from across Germany. Angela Merkel gestures with a crutch as she meets carols singers during the reception (AFP/GettyImages) The annual event at the chancellery, in which youngsters don "Three Wise Men" costumes and sing carols as part of an Epiphany fundraising effort for needy children, is one of only a couple of appointments that Mrs Merkel will keep this week. After a fall over the Christmas holidays while cross-country skiing in Switzerland, the German leader suffered a fractured pelvis and has been advised by doctors to remain lying down as much as possible for three weeks. She will work mainly from home while she recovers, her spokesman said. Angela Merkel walks with crutches as she meets young Carol singers (AFP/Getty Images) Mrs Merkel is however also due to lead the first cabinet meeting of 2014 of her hard-won, new "grand coalition" on Wednesday, but a scheduled foreign trip and meetings with the Polish and Luxembourg prime ministers later this week have been called off. She was re-elected chancellor for a third term in December following September's elections. Singing along while a girl wearing a costume crown and cloak held the words and music for her to follow, she referred to the fact that she cannot stand too well due to her injury and is supposed to lie down more as she spoke to the youngsters, whose fundraising will go towards helping refugee children around the world.