Queen Elizabeth II, now 86, has held her throne since the age of 25. Pictured, Elizabeth arrives at a garden reception at Government House in Auckland, New Zealand, in February 2002.
Editor's note: Max Foster is CNN's Royal Correspondent. Follow him on Twitter. Richard Quest is presenter of Quest Means Business. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Read their take on the queen's hospitalization.
(CNN) -- Max Foster: We were told the queen had been taken in on Friday and that she wasn't able to carry out a public engagement in Wales the following day.
The last time she had to cancel a public appearance was last October when she had a bad back. But this is rare indeed.
The queen takes her role extremely seriously and only cancels when absolutely necessary. As if to underline that she carried on with a private engagement at home in Windsor Castle on Sunday, handing out a long service medal to a member of staff.
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She must have been battling with pain because she was taken to hospital, for the first time in a decade, on Sunday afternoon. The monarch has also canceled all her plans for the week including a high profile visit to Rome.
The queen will no doubt be thinking this is all a lot of fuss. She epitomizes so much about Britishness including the "stiff upper lip."
But we are talking about the head of sixteen states here, and an elderly one at that. The queen's family and aides are taking no chances with her health and they are concerned enough to want her under direct hospital supervision.
Richard Quest: The palace will want to make sure everyone understands that this is a precautionary measure. The queen may be 86 years old but she enjoys excellent health.
She also hates making a fuss. Her Majesty will have been concerned about the engagements that need to be canceled or postponed. Even today before she was driven to hospital the queen presented long service medals.
The queen was scheduled to go on a two day visit to Rome this week. That is not now taking place. The Italian president has sent his best wishes to her Majesty.
The hospital where she is now staying is the same hospital where the Duchess of Cambridge was admitted in the early days of her pregnancy. It was the hospital where the hoax phone call was made which ultimately lead to the suicide of one of the nurses.
The royal family traditionally stay at the King Edward VII hospital because of its security arrangements and a well-practiced routine for handling these high-profile patients.
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Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, right, poses for a photo with her younger sister, Princess Margaret, in 1933.
Queen Elizabeth II arrives at King's Cross railway station in London with her four Corgis in October 1969 after vacationing at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
Queen Elizabeth, accompanied by her husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, waves to the crowd on June 2, 1953, after being crowned at Westminster Abbey in London. Her coronation was the first worldwide televised event.
Elizabeth and Philip sit in the grass with their two children, Charles, Prince of Wales, and Princess Anne, circa 1951. They later had two more children, Edward, Earl of Wessex, and Andrew, Duke of York.
Prince Richard of Gloucester, from left, the Duchess of Gloucester, the Queen Mother, Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, Queen Elizabeth II, her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, Princess Alexandra, Lord Snowdon and his wife, Princess Margaret, Elizabeth's younger sister, pose for a family picture in April 1972 in London during a visit to Britain by the Netherlands' royal family.
Visiting Canada in 1997, Elizabeth smiles as she leaves the Alexander Graham Bell Homestead in Brantford, Ontario.
Elizabeth leaves St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle after the wedding of Sophie Rhys-Jones and her son Prince Edward in June 1999.
Elizabeth inspects the Canadian Guard of Honour in July 1992 before taking part in Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa.
Elizabeth sits beside Philip as she gives a speech at the state opening of Parliament in the House of Lords in November 1999.
Elizabeth's coach travels through London in 2004.
Elizabeth greets veterans at the Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha, a Sikh Temple in London, in October 2004.
Elizabeth is offered a rose by a well-wisher while visiting the Princess Diana memorial fountain in London's Hyde Park in July 2004.
Elizabeth poses in Dresden during a state visit to Germany in November 2004.
Elizabeth attends a state banquet at the Philharmonic Hall in Bratislava, Slovakia, in October 2008.
Elizabeth meets actors Sanjeev Bhaskar, second left, and Meera Syal, left, after watching a performance by Nutkhut, a London-based dance company, at Buckingham Palace in October 2009.
Elizabeth gives a speech during a state banquet for the visit of Indian President Pratibha Devisingh Patil at Windsor Castle in October 2009.
Elizabeth receives flowers from a Girl Guide after attending the Christmas Day church service at St Mary's Church in Sandringham, England, in 2010.
Elizabeth visits St. George's School in Windsor, England, in May 2011.
Elizabeth looks at a horse at the Windsor Horse Show in Windsor, England, in May 2011.
U.S. President Barack Obama toasts with Elizabeth during a state banquet at Buckingham Palace in May 2011.
Queen Elizabeth, from left, Prince William, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, look up from the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the service of thanksgiving at St. Paul's Cathedral in June 2012.
Elizabeth leaves No. 10 Downing Street in London in July 2012.
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