The Queen is canceling Christmas at Sandringham as coronavirus cases rise around the world. Instead, the sovereign will spend Christmas at Windsor Castle.
Rebecca English, a royal editor at the Daily Mail, reported on Monday on Twitter that “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,” English said, adding that “it looks as if the Queen will worship privately on Christmas Day inside the castle.”
Last year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, both Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip spent their Christmas holiday at Windsor Castle instead of their usual Sandringham.
“Having considered all the appropriate advice, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh have decided that this year they will spend Christmas quietly in Windsor,” a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said in a statement at the time.
This year will be the queen’s first Christmas without her husband in over seven decades. Philip died in April at the age of 99.