The Queen continues to be protected at Sandringham during Christmas. Yesterday, she decided to skip church as a precaution because of the danger from Covid.
Reports suggest that Queen Elizabeth will make her decision about Christmas plans within the next 48-hours, following revelations she might abandon family celebrations at Norfolk’s royal estate due to coronavirus.
As part of precautions taken to safeguard the tradition Christmas celebrations at Sandringham, Her Majesty was unable to attend her Windsor church service yesterday.
According to Sun, the Queen (95) will depart for Sandringham on Wednesday. In anticipation of her return, staff have been busy preparing rooms.
It will mark the Queen’s first Christmas since Prince Philip died earlier in the year. Her family is preparing to support her, so that she doesn’t have to go it alone.
The Queen continues to take cautious measures to protect her plans to host family Christmas festivities at Sandringham this year as Covid continues to cast doubt on whether they will go ahead. Pictured is the Queen and her family attending King’s Lynn’s Christmas Day celebration in 2017.
Since 1988, Christmas has been celebrated at Sandringham by the Royal Family
Prince Charles and Camilla are the Duke and Duke of Cambridge and their children. Prince Andrew, Beatrice and Eugenie as well as Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex and their families will be making the journey to celebrate with the Queen.
The Queen is still keen to go to her beloved 20,000-acre estate at Sandringham, where she normally stays until early February – particularly as she spent last year at Windsor alone apart from her late husband and a handful of staff, due to lockdown.
A source confirmed to the Mail on Sunday that the Queen’s Christmas plans are under review and added: ‘There is a strong desire for it to be as normal as it can be but obviously this is subject to practical concerns.’
It’s unlikely that the Monarch of 95 will be joining the 200 strong congregation at St Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham, for the Christmas Day celebration.
She will instead attend a private ceremony, similar to the one last year where a Royal Chaplain gave a sermon with readings.
There are other plans. The Queen has suffered an illness recently and Omicron could pose a serious threat to her health. If this happens, Windsor Castle might be able to host a smaller celebration.
Pictured: Prince Charles and Kate, accompanied by their children, walk behind Prince Charles after they attend the Christmas Day Service at Church of St Mary Magdalene in Sandringham.
According to The Mirror, a decision is expected within 48 hours. A palace source also reported that the Queen would ‘lead out the front’ in case the Government issues further guidance on mixing during Christmas.
Sources told The Times that Queen Elizabeth II and her extended family have been alerted to the fact that things are constantly changing, and that many other families could be affected.
“A decision will be taken as soon as it is possible as to whether or not the queen travels according to plan.”
It comes after the Queen ‘regretfully’ scrapped next week’s traditional Royal Family Christmas lunch amid Omicron fears.
While the Queen has been forced to pull out of several engagements over the past two months – including a visit to Northern Ireland – she has been well enough to carry out her duties as head of state.
The Palace confirmed last week that she took part in video chats and was also seen walking alone in London, fulfilling a commitment she made to her diary after returning from Windsor.
However, changes to the Palace schedule are not something that can be done lightly. They’re often planned out months ahead of time. And behind the scenes everything is being done to help the Queen save the family’s Sandringham Christmas.
‘Sandringham is special not only because of all the fond memories of Prince Philip and the hard work he did to transform the estate,’ the insider told the Mail on Sunday, ‘But also because it’s the very place where her father passed away.
‘It’s the reason why, normally, she will never leave Sandringham after the Christmas break until she has marked his anniversary on February 6.’
It will be a particularly poignant date, for next year marks the 70th anniversary of the death of her father, King George VI – and the point at which the Queen will have been on the throne for seven decades.
The Platinum Jubilee celebrations will be yet another milestone for the Queen who in 2015 surpassed her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria to become the longest-reigning British Monarch.