Like millions of others,Queen Elizabethhas had to rethink her holiday plans.
WithCOVID-19 cases rocketing in the U.K., the 95-year-old monarch has changed her arrangements for the Christmas and New Year break, opting not to head to Sandringham.
The Queen usually stays at her estate in Norfolk from late December to just after February 6 (the date she became queen at the death of her father George VI nearly 70 years ago), but with the Omicron coronavirus variant causing a surge in cases, PEOPLE has confirmed she has decided to stay at Windsor Castle.
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That said, the Queen’s decision means the annual family walk to church on Christmas morning, so popular with royal watchers, also will not take place this year.
Queen Elizabeth on Christmas Day 2019.Stephen Pond/Getty
This year will be an especially poignant festive period for the Queen, who will mark her first holiday without her beloved husbandPrince Philip, who died in April. They were married for 73 years.
Before the decision was made whether the Queen would stay in Windsor, where she has been largely based throughout the pandemic, it was understood that the royals were preemptively making plans to ensure they could see her on Christmas so she wouldn’t spend the day without some close family members.
Queen Elizabeth.Chris Jackson/Getty Images
It is the second year running that the monarch has stayed at Windsor. At the height of the pandemic last winter, she and Philip remained there as the U.K. was encouraged to stay at home and not visit with family.
Normally, members of the royal family join her at Sandringham, with guests typically arriving in the early afternoon on Christmas Eve.
The royals opens their presents on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas Day, and on Christmas the family famously walks to church services at St. Mary’s Magdalene Church on the estate. After their church outing, the royal family heads back to Sandringham House for a lunch of Norfolk turkey and other festivities.
Queen Elizabeth and the royal family on Christmas Day in 2017.Chris Jackson/Getty Images
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In recent months since she canceled a visit to Northern Ireland andspent a night in the hospitalin October, the Queen has been carrying out light duties including audiences and video meetings.
Last week, shecanceled her pre-Christmaslunch for the extended family that had been planned to take place this Tuesday at Windsor Castle.
While the Sandringham decision was ultimately hers, she has taken advice from her private secretaries who are in touch with the U.K. government about the ongoing rise in cases and the latest restrictions. Throughout the pandemic, she has been mindful of setting the right example within the existing guidelines.
source: people.com
