Buckingham Palace has told reporters that the Queen of England has been taken to hospital as a precaution after a stomach bug.
The 86-year-old Queen is reportedly suffering from gastroenteritis, the BBC reports, and has been taken to King Edward VII Hospital in London.
It is the first time in 10 years that the Queen has been hospitalized. All official engagements for the next week have been cancelled, a rarity for a Queen who rarely fails to meet her obligations, Sky News reports.
The Queen's bout of gastroenteritis was confirmed by Palace officials earlier this weekend, and had led to speculation she would have to cancel engagements, especially an upcoming royal trip to Italy.
Gastroenteritis is more commonly referred to as the stomach flu, though it has no link to the influenza virus. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea and dehydration. The UK has recently seen a large-scale outbreak of one strain of Gastroenteritis known as the norovirus.
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