[ad_1]
Prince William and Kate Middleton may not receive an invitation to spend Christmas with the Queen this year. Karwai Tang / WireImage
The holiday season is around the corner, but this year’s celebrations will be a little different. Many families will not be able to celebrate together due to the COVID-19 crisis and restrictions on large gatherings, including royalty.
Queen Elizabeth traditionally spends her winter holidays at Sandringham, her Norfolk estate, where she is joined by members of the royal family. The latest UK holiday rules, however, state that up to three families can mingle together from 23 to 27 December, but families cannot mingle any further. This means that the Queen and Prince Philip will only be able to spend the holidays with two other “bubbles” and Prince William and Kate Middleton may not make the cut.
Sign up for the Observer’s Royals newsletter
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip are both in the at-risk age group.
The 94-year-old Queen and 99-year-old Duke of Edinburgh are both in the risk bracket, so the royal family is trying to figure out what makes the most sense to minimize the risk of exposure, according to Telegraph. Prince William and Kate’s three young children could potentially pose a risk, as Prince George and Princess Charlotte are still attending in-person classes at their London school, Thomas’s Battersea.
The three younger Cambridges could potentially pose a risk.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge usually spend their holidays at Anmer Hall, their country home on Sandringham Estate. It is possible that Prince William and Kate may take Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis to the Norfolk retreat in quarantine for two weeks before seeing the Queen and Prince Philip.
It is believed that Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, are one of two families in the Queen’s bull. Princess Beatrice and her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, will likely join Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank on the shared estate of the Duke and Duchess of York’s Royal Lodge for the holidays.
The usual Sandringham celebrations this year are out of the question. Stephen Pond / Getty Images
It is also possible that Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip will not go to Sandringham at all and will instead stay in Windsor.
While the royals aren’t all able to gather in their usual large group for traditional church parties and walks, at least they can still virtually celebrate. The queen is a very experienced Zoomer at this point, so maybe the royals will opt for a video call instead of any in-person meeting, just to be on the safe side.
Source link
