The Queen will attend the Chelsea Flower Show, according to Buckingham Palace

The Queen will be at the Chelsea Flower Show for a royal preview this afternoon ahead of tomorrow’s official opening, Buckingham Palace has confirmed after a last-minute decision was made for her to attend.

The head of state has hone to the world-famous event in London run by the Royal Horticultural Society, of which she is a patron, more than 50 times in her 70-year reign – but recent ill health had made her presence uncertain.

But Buckingham Palace has now confirmed a final decision has been taken that she will attend the event at Royal Hospital Chelsea despite her mobility issues, having said last Thursday that she still hoped to visit the event.

The Earl and Countess of Wessex, Princess Beatrice, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and Princess Alexandra were already confirmed attendees for this afternoon.

Earlier, a royal source told MailOnline that it was still the Queen’s ‘intention’ to attend and she was ‘on her way to London’, adding that ‘it was ‘more likely than not’ but ‘these things are being played day by day and hour by hour’.

Sue Biggs, director general of the Royal Horticultural Society, said this morning that the Queen is ‘the most special person to us’ and that there were tributes to her long reign ‘everywhere you go’ around the show.