The diplomatic reception which was due to be hosted by the Queen on Wednesday has been postponed.

Buckingham Palace said the Queen had accepted the Foreign Secretary’s advice to delay the event, which had been due to take place at Windsor Castle.

It is understood the postponement is because of the conflict in Ukraine.

The Queen would have been meeting hundreds of members of the Diplomatic Corps if the event went ahead as planned.

In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: “The Queen has accepted the Foreign Secretary’s advice that the diplomatic reception at Windsor on March 2 should be postponed.”