A meeting member listed as “absent with apologies” may not have said sorry; he simply needs to have provided his reasons for being unable to attend the meeting.

What is the difference between an absence and an apology in a meeting?

Leave of absence requires a resolution of the board at a previous meeting or the meeting in question. ... If, however, an apology has been formally accepted and recorded in the minutes as having been accepted then it is much more easily implied that a positive grant of leave has been given by the Board.

What does apologies mean in meeting?

Apologies are from people who are unable to attend the meeting. They are noted at the beginning of the meeting and included in the Minutes.