LONDON? – Queen Elizabeth II will not attend the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in October, Buckingham Palace confirmed Sunday -- the first time she has missed the event in decades.

Prince Charles, her eldest son and the heir to the throne, will represent the 84-year-old Head of the Commonwealth instead at the October 3-14 Games.

"It is correct to say that the Queen will not be attending the Commonwealth Games this year," a palace spokesman said.

"The volume of Her Majesty's engagements, coupled with other overseas commitments, means she will not be able to attend."

The Commonwealth Games are held every four years.

Delhi 2010, the biggest multi-sport event to be staged in India since the Asian Games in 1982, will feature more than 70 nations and territories mainly from the former British empire.

The 12-day sporting extravaganza is being billed as the most expensive Commonwealth Games in history with an infrastructure and organising budget of two billion dollars.

The Commonwealth Games Federation warned India again earlier this month over the slow progress in getting ready for the event, saying "there remains much to be done" ahead of the sporting extravaganza.