Editor's note: Mark Saunders is a longtime reporter on the royal family, beginning his career at his hometown newspaper, The Windsor Express, where he became royal correspondent and covered more than 200 official royal engagements. He is the author of several books on the royals.
London (CNN) -- In public Buckingham Palace are putting on a brave face, insisting the queen's illness is little more than a stomach bug and her hospitalization merely a "precautionary measure."
But behind the castle walls there is cause for concern.
The main worry is dehydration, quite common for anyone suffering from gastroenteritis; usually it is treated by replacing lost bodily fluids with water.
Five things to know about gastroenteritis
Mark Saunders discusses Queen's illness
Queen Elizabeth II, now 86, has held her throne since the age of 25. Pictured, Elizabeth arrives at a garden reception at Government House in Auckland, New Zealand, in February 2002.
Photos: Queen Elizabeth II
But the queen is finding it difficult to keep any fluids down.
For this reason she was taken to the Edward 7th hospital in London, the first time she has been in hospital for 10 years, where she is currently hooked up to an IV drip.
Buckingham Palace have canceled all the queen's official engagements for the next week, including a high profile visit to Rome.
Senior advisers have spoken of their concerns to the Prince of Wales and it is believed the queen, who is 87 next month, will be asked to take things easier over the coming months.
Though the queen is always described as being in "robust" health, her advisers are acutely aware there will come a point when she has to slow down.
For this reason the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall have been taking on far more high profile engagements recently as they prepare for the day they will formally replace the queen.
A source inside Windsor Castle said: "Charles and Camilla have subtlety created a more regal air over the past year and are beginning to look, and act, like a King and Queen in waiting. Behind them the ever-popular William and Catherine have now progressed to being senior members of the royal family.
"If the queen is convinced to cut back on the amount of engagements she carried out she will do so with the knowledge the family 'firm' is well taken care of behind her."
The queen who hates to make a fuss
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Mark Saunders.
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Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, right, poses for a photo with her younger sister, Princess Margaret, in 1933.
Queen Elizabeth II arrives at King's Cross railway station in London with her four Corgis in October 1969 after vacationing at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
Queen Elizabeth, accompanied by her husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, waves to the crowd on June 2, 1953, after being crowned at Westminster Abbey in London. Her coronation was the first worldwide televised event.
Elizabeth and Philip sit in the grass with their two children, Charles, Prince of Wales, and Princess Anne, circa 1951. They later had two more children, Edward, Earl of Wessex, and Andrew, Duke of York.
Prince Richard of Gloucester, from left, the Duchess of Gloucester, the Queen Mother, Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, Queen Elizabeth II, her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, Princess Alexandra, Lord Snowdon and his wife, Princess Margaret, Elizabeth's younger sister, pose for a family picture in April 1972 in London during a visit to Britain by the Netherlands' royal family.
Visiting Canada in 1997, Elizabeth smiles as she leaves the Alexander Graham Bell Homestead in Brantford, Ontario.
Elizabeth leaves St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle after the wedding of Sophie Rhys-Jones and her son Prince Edward in June 1999.
Elizabeth inspects the Canadian Guard of Honour in July 1992 before taking part in Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa.
Elizabeth sits beside Philip as she gives a speech at the state opening of Parliament in the House of Lords in November 1999.
Elizabeth's coach travels through London in 2004.
Elizabeth greets veterans at the Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha, a Sikh Temple in London, in October 2004.
Elizabeth is offered a rose by a well-wisher while visiting the Princess Diana memorial fountain in London's Hyde Park in July 2004.
Elizabeth poses in Dresden during a state visit to Germany in November 2004.
Elizabeth attends a state banquet at the Philharmonic Hall in Bratislava, Slovakia, in October 2008.
Elizabeth meets actors Sanjeev Bhaskar, second left, and Meera Syal, left, after watching a performance by Nutkhut, a London-based dance company, at Buckingham Palace in October 2009.
Elizabeth gives a speech during a state banquet for the visit of Indian President Pratibha Devisingh Patil at Windsor Castle in October 2009.
Elizabeth receives flowers from a Girl Guide after attending the Christmas Day church service at St Mary's Church in Sandringham, England, in 2010.
Elizabeth visits St. George's School in Windsor, England, in May 2011.
Elizabeth looks at a horse at the Windsor Horse Show in Windsor, England, in May 2011.
U.S. President Barack Obama toasts with Elizabeth during a state banquet at Buckingham Palace in May 2011.
Queen Elizabeth, from left, Prince William, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, look up from the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the service of thanksgiving at St. Paul's Cathedral in June 2012.
Elizabeth leaves No. 10 Downing Street in London in July 2012.
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