The queen has cancelled her Christmas plans for the second year in a row in response to the highly contagious Omicron variant of the coronavirus, which is sweeping the U.K.
Instead of traveling to Sandringham, her country estate in Norfolk where she traditionally spends Christmas surrounded by family and friends, a source told The Daily Beast that Her Majesty will remain hunkered down at Windsor Castle where she will be visited by a smaller number of family.
A senior courtier told The Daily Beast: “Her Majesty has decided to celebrate Christmas at Windsor and will not travel to Sandringham. The decision was a personal one after careful consideration and reflects a precautionary approach. There will be family visiting Windsor over the Christmas period and all appropriate guidelines will be followed.”
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The courtier said that the palace did not intend to give running commentary on exactly who would visit and when, but made it clear that there were plans for family members to be with the queen on Christmas Day.
Of course, for the queen to be forced to cancel her Christmas plans this year is a particular blow as it is her first holiday season since the loss of her husband, Prince Philip, who died in April.
However, in recent days, with coronavirus cases soaring, it had started to look increasingly unlikely that the queen would be able to continue with festive celebrations as planned.
A Christmas lunch for her wider family, due to take place this week, was cancelled last week, and, as The Daily Beast reported in The Royalist newsletter, palace sources had already flagged that the public would likely not be allowed to gather outside the parish church in Sandringham, which the royals usually attend on Christmas Day.
Although there are no specific guidelines restricting home visits in the U.K. right now, the public has been urged by the country’s chief medical officer to exercise caution in relation to social mixing.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Monday that while no new restrictions were being introduced immediately, the situation was “extremely difficult” and was being monitored “hour by hour,” adding, “We will reserve the possibility of taking further action.”
Cases of coronavirus, fueled by Omicron, have rocketed in recent days in the U.K.
The queen usually departs for Sandringham via train a few days before Christmas and stays there until February.
However, it now seems likely she will simply remain in Windsor.
Another source was quoted by The Telegraph as saying: “I think in the end Her Majesty just felt that it would be too difficult—not just for the Royals but also the staff—to make Sandringham happen. It’s a decision that hasn’t been taken likely.”
Despite please from insiders at the palace to not get “hung up on bubbles,” attention will now inevitably turn to which visitors the queen receives on Christmas Day.
It is unlikely that William and Kate will make the journey from their country home of Anmer Hall on the Sandringham estate to Windsor, however Prince Andrew—who lives just a short drive away, at Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, and is often said to be the queen’s favorite child— may well now be called on to visit his mother, despite his shattered reputation and current legal woes.
