I worry we are not being told the true extent of the Queen's health | Cheryl Gibbs

Unfortunately we didn’t make the service, which was held at Horndean village, but my sister and her husband Shaun, who is a veteran, went and said it was extremely well done.

My husband Matt and I have been in previous years and we will definitely be taking Harley in the future.

I watched as much as I could on the TV and like many was moved by Prince Charles’ clear display of emotion as he laid a wreath on behalf of the Queen who, because of a back sprain, wasn’t in attendance.

It’s been a difficult couple of years for the monarchy, especially as Charles himself has had a fraught and turbulent relationship with his youngest son, Prince Harry.

And to add to the ordeal he has battled Covid-19.

I’m sure he has his own concerns about his mother, who is now 95 years of age and becoming increasingly vulnerable.

SEE ALSO: I can’t imagine what those poor parents must have gone through | Cheryl Gibbs

The Queen has only ever missed six Cenotaph ceremonies during her reign which is quite astonishing if you think about it – four occasions when she was overseas and in 1959 and 1963 when she was pregnant with her two youngest children.

I, like many, perhaps including her own son, Charles, have grave concerns for the Queen.

As robust as she is, she is still an elderly lady who is becoming increasingly fragile of late, missing more appointments than usual and with her son’s obvious display of emotion my instant worry was perhaps the palace wasn’t telling us the extent of the Queen's poor health.

Whether you’re a royalist or not, love or hate the monarchy, few could argue that the Queen has been a formidable force in the UK and one day, hopefully a long time in the future, this country will face a future without her. Questions will be raised about the future of the monarchy that honestly, I don’t think we’re in a position as a nation to deal with that yet.

It really was rewarding to take time out for myself

I went on a spa day this week to Champneys at Liphook with my mum and sister and it felt like pure heaven.

I’ve been to lots of hotels with spa facilities, but I’ve never been to an actual spa hotel that involved nothing but pampering all day.

Apart from spending all day in swimming costumes and only putting on a dressing gown to go for lunch in the restaurant (I mean, it’s what dreams are made of, right?), I frolicked in the pool and outdoor hot tub all day, and while it is an expense we can’t afford often, it was such a relaxing day to just do nothing and breathe. If you can, take five minutes each day this week to just be still. It really does do wonders for your mental health.

This awful cold that is going around has knocked me for six

I don’t know if it was the sheer amount of exercise my sister Jo has been putting me through lately, or perhaps it was sweating my pores out in the sauna and steam room this week that did it, but I woke up on Wednesday with such an awful cold and I’ve felt ropey ever since.

There have been lots of colds going around and I know people who have been bedbound because of it, so I should count myself lucky that it’s just been a nasty cold, but it really has knocked me for six.

It’s hard to cope with feeling rough while looking after a toddler. Sometimes I just want to crawl back to bed, but my daughter wants to play. I just have to be tough and get on with it.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

You can subscribe here for unlimited access to our online coverage, including Pompey, with 70 per cent fewer adverts for less than 20p a day.