Buckingham Palace has confirmed that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) member will not make it to the Games, citing "difficulties" travelling to the Chinese capital.

The Princess Royal was scheduled to attend IOC meetings in Beijing, including the Session, due to be held on Thursday (February 3) - a day before the Games are due to open.

But the former Olympic athlete has been forced to cancel those plans, according to Buckingham Palace.

It will be the second consecutive Olympic Games Princess Anne, the sixth longest serving member of the IOC having been elected in 1988, has missed.

She also did not attend the re-arranged 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo last year because of travel restrictions caused by COVID-19. 

The last Olympics that she attended was the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang. 

"The Princess Royal is disappointed she will not be able to attend the IOC meetings in Beijing ahead of the Winter Olympics this year, nor the Games themselves," a statement from Buckingham Palace read.

"This is due to the flight and COVID travel restriction difficulties in getting to and from the Games without losing too much of her busy work schedule at home.

"Her Royal Highness sends her best wishes for the Games to the British athletes and supporting officials."

Princess Anne became the first member of the British Royal Family to compete at an Olympic Games when she was a member of the equestrian team at Montreal 1976.

At the Games in the Canadian city, she was the only female competitor not to give a sex test as her royal status allowed her an exemption.

She has been chair of the IOC Members Election Commission, formerly the Nominations Commission, since 2014.

Princess Anne will still be able to participate in the IOC Session next Thursday (February 3) due to a change in the Olympic Charter, which now allows for Sessions to be held in a hybrid format or entirely remotely following changes introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last week, International Paralympic Committee President and IOC member Andrew Parsons announced that he would not be attending the Olympics.

The Brazilian revealed on social media that he had tested positive for COVID-19. 

The Princess has also held the role of President of the British Olympic Association (BOA) for the past 39 years and at previous Games has been regularly seen supporting Team GB athletes. 

Her decision not to go to Beijing 2022 comes after the British Government opted to join the United States-led boycott of the Games in the Chinese capital.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced in December that he did not support a sporting boycott of the Games but admitted there were no plans to send any Government Ministers to the Winter Olympics.

The US decided to diplomatic boycott due to "ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang and other human rights abuses".

As well as Britain and the US, nations including Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia Lithuania and New Zealand have opted to shun the Games.

China has faced accusations of using forced Uyghur labour, operating a mass surveillance programme, detaining thousands in internment camps, carrying out forced sterilisations and intentionally destroying Uyghur heritage in the Xinjiang region.

Beijing denies the charges laid against it and claims the camps are training centres for stamping out Islamist extremism and separatism.

BOA chief executive Andy Anson promisd the organisation would stand by athletes should they wish to express their personal opinions at the Winter Olympics.

"We definitely want our athletes to be respectful of the athletes they are standing on the podium with, [but] we are not going to stifle their freedom of expression," said Anson.