Prince Philip, 94, is understood to have no plans to cancel any other forthcoming engagements, and has not attended hospital.
Buckingham Palace has refused to say what the ailment is.
The Queen's husband is a proud Royal Navy man and will be very disappointed not to be able to make it to Scotland.
He was last seen in public last Thursday during the ceremony of Beating Retreat performed by the Massed Bands of the Royal Marines at Horse Guards Parade.
A statement from a Buckingham Palace spokesman said: 'Following doctor's advice, the Duke of Edinburgh has reluctantly decided not to attend the commemorations marking the Battle of Jutland tomorrow in Kirkwall and Hoy.
The Princess Royal, who was already attending the events, will represent the Royal Family.'
The 500-mile journey from London to Orkney would have taken Philip around an hour and a half by plane, as well as extra travel to and from the airportsDescendants of those who fought at Jutland have been invited to join the commemorations, which include a service at St Magnus Cathedral on Kirkwall on Tuesday.
The 94-year-old Duke has continued to carry out a full schedule of Royal engagements alongside his 90-year-old wife, despite his advanced age.
However, this is not the first time that ill health has forced him to pull out of events - from 2011 to 2013 he was hospitalised four time for a variety of ailments.
Around Christmas 2011, Philip suffered chest pains and was admitted to Papworth Hospital - near the Royal Family's Sandringham estate - for emergency treatment.
The Duke had a coronary stent fitted to improve his blood flow after doctors discovered he had a blocked artery.
The next year, he suffered a serious bladder infection which was thought to be connected to the Diamond Jubilee celebrations, when he and the Queen had to stand on the Royal barge in the rain for hours.
Philip's bladder condition recurred later in 2012 and he spent six days at the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary recuperating with bed rest.
His most recent serious health scare came in June 2013, when he had abdominal surgery at a London hospital under general anaesthetic.
Previous periods of illness have prompted speculation that the Duke would have to scale back his workload, but he continues to accompany the Queen to most major events.
After the Kirkwall ceremony tomorrow, events will continue with a service at Lyness Cemetery on the island of Hoy - the final resting place for more than 450 service personnel who died in the war, including sailors killed at Jutland.
The cemetery stands close to Scapa Flow, from where the British Grand Fleet set out for the Jutland Bank to repel German forces attempting to break a British blockade.
Almost 250 ships took part, creating a scale of battle that has not been seen since.
Both nations claimed victory - Germany because of the 6,094 British losses compared to the 2,551 men it sacrificed, but Britain had seriously weakened the enemy's naval capability.
There will also be a remembrance service at sea where British and German naval representatives will scatter poppies and forget-me-nots - the German flower of remembrance - into the North Sea at Jutland Bank.
The Princess Royal will be accompanied by Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence as vice-chairman of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
On Saturday, she attended a service in Rosyth, Fife along with Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to mark the battle's centenary.
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