Queen Elizabeth to Skip Commonwealth Meeting LONDON - Queen Elizabeth, 87, will skip this year's meeting of the heads of the Commonwealth governments, the first time she has failed to attend since 1973, Buckingham Palace said on Tuesday. She will be represented at the biennial meeting, which this year is to be held in November in Sri Lanka, by her son Prince Charles, 64, the heir to the throne. The palace said it was "reviewing the amount of long-haul travel" taken by the queen, who had to miss a number of engagements this year when she fell ill with gastroenteritis. The announcement is a concession to the queen's age and a sign that Charles is taking on more and more of her responsibilities, but there is no hint that she is considering abdicating.