LONDON<$> — The Queen has cancelled her appearance at an awards ceremony and trimmed other events from her schedule because of discomfort from a muscle strain in her back, her office said yesterday.The Queen’s Buckingham Palace press office said her daughter Princess Anne would appear instead of Queen at an “investiture” ceremony to issue state honours today.

“She’s really just amending her programme rather than cancelling all her engagements. And obviously an investiture is one where she is required to stand for a long time,” a spokeswoman said.

The Queen will attend a reception later today but for a shorter period of time than initially planned, and would cancel a lunch and a visit to a housing shelter tomorrow.

The palace has said the 80-year-old monarch strained a muscle in her back several weeks ago.