The Duchess had been due to attend Westminster Kingsway College yesterday to see a kitchen demonstration by Care Cook of the Year Ellie Cook and help deliver a meal to one local resident.
Announcing she would be unable to take part, a Clarence House spokesperson said: “The Duchess of Cornwall has had to cancel her engagements in London this week as she has developed sinusitis and a severe middle ear infection whilst at Birkhall.”
The Westminster Kingsway demo went ahead anyway, part of a national series of events to mark Community Meals Week that began on Monday with an attempt to gain an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most deliveries of a single menu choice meal to people on the same day.
There was also House of Commons Speaker John Bercow MP and broadcast journalist and former Strictly Come Dancing contestant John Sergeant show their support for the Week and raising awareness of the value and importance of the service.
Bercow joined Apetito, which makes meals and delivers them, to pay a call on Buckingham resident Irene Simpson.
He said: “The meals on wheels service is a vital lifeline for many elderly people, enabling them to stay in their own homes for longer. Nutritious meals are only part of the package – it’s the human contact, the regularity of seeing somebody and having that engagement that has such huge benefits.”
On Tuesday Sergeant visited Apetito’s Brent depot, where he sampled a range of dishes before joining a delivery round.
He said: "For many years my mother was a meals on wheels volunteer in Oxford, so it's been great to see the service continuing today, when it's more important than ever.
“As our elderly population grows, services like these give vulnerable people the help they need to remain in their own homes."
Roger Hargreaves, divisional manager of community meals at Apetito, added: “Having the support of both John Bercow and John Sergeant has been fantastic.
“Their involvement has not only brought a smile to the faces of those who depend on our services, it’s also helped to raise awareness of the value and importance of this essential community service at a time when local authority cuts are threatening its future.”