NICOLA Sturgeon is attending a memorial service for Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey.

The First Minister’s Covid update, usually held fortnightly on a Tuesday, has been pushed back to Wednesday.

The Duke of Edinburgh is being remembered as a “man of rare ability and distinction” at the event, which will feature elements he planned for his own funeral that were forbidden due to Covid-19 restrictions.

The Queen will make her first public appearance in weeks at the service, where she will be accompanied by Prince Andrew.

The Duke of York is travelling with his mother by car from Windsor Castle to Westminster Abbey.

The decision comes despite Andrew paying millions out of court earlier this month to settle a civil sexual assault case.

It will be seen as a major signal of support from the monarch to her second son.

The Queen made the final decision to attend on Tuesday morning, hours before she was due to travel from Windsor Castle to central London, having been determined to be at Westminster Abbey if her mobility allowed her.

The monarch will remember her husband of 73 years among family and friends, after the limitations imposed on the duke’s funeral during the pandemic.

A Palace spokesman said: “The Queen is currently intending to attend the service this morning.”

The duke’s relatives, friends, colleagues and his charities and patronages are gathering to pay tribute to the man whose funeral last April was only attended by 30 of his loved ones.

Tuesday’s service will be the Queen’s first major official engagement outside one of her homes for five and a half months, since she travelled to Cardiff to deliver a speech at the Welsh Senedd on October 14.

Some 1800 guests are expected to attend the event.