LONDON -- Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II was admitted to hospital after experiencing symptoms of gastroenteritis, Buckingham Palace said Sunday.
All her official engagements for this week will be either postponed or canceled as a precaution, the palace said in a statement.
The queen, who celebrated 60 years on the throne last year, had already canceled her weekend engagements because she had been feeling unwell.
An unidentified palace spokesman told ITV News the 86-year-old was in "good spirits" and "good health" despite her illness.
"This is a precautionary measure," the spokesman said. "She was not taken into hospital immediately after feeling the symptoms. This is simply to enable doctors to better assess her."
She was being treated at the King Edward VII Hospital in London, a private facility.
Gastroenteritis is a stomach illness most often caused by a virus or food poisoning.
BBC correspondent Peter Hunt reported she would be kept there for observation for about two days.
Her canceled duties include a planned trip to Italy where she was due to be the guest of President Giorgio Napolitano on Wednesday.
Early last week, she met the Archbishop of Canterbury at Buckingham Palace, and on Thursday she presented a host of British Olympic stars with honors at a ceremony.
