Doubt still hangs over the Queen's royal engagement to Italy next week as she continues to recuperate from symptoms of gastroenteritis.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh are due to travel to Rome for a two-day visit, but that could be cancelled if she remains unwell.

A spokesman said the visit is still due to take place, but a decision will be made after she is assessed.

Sickness forced her to pull out of attending a military ceremony in Wales on Saturday as part of the country's St David's Day celebrations.

The Queen had been due to travel to Swansea to the Guildhall, where she was to present St David's Day leeks to the 3rd Battalion The Royal Welsh, of which she is Colonel-in-Chief.

But a Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said on Friday she would instead spend the weekend at Windsor.

The palace confirmed on Friday the Queen was suffering symptoms of gastroenteritis, and said she would be assessed "in the coming days".

Gastroenteritis is an infection of the stomach and bowel, with common symptoms including vomiting, diarrhoea and dehydration.

In England, the two most common causes of gastroenteritis in adults are norovirus and food poisoning, according to NHS Choices.

The Press Association, photo by The British Monarchy