Fans of the royal family have been speculating for months as to how the Queen and co's festive period might look this year (clue: very different, like the rest of the nation's, due to coronavirus restrictions). Now, it's been revealed that Her Majesty and her husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, have made a decision as to how they'll be spending the day.
Typically, in traditional royal fashion, the family gather at Sandringham House in Norfolk for their celebrations, as opposed to Buckingham Palace, and delight crowds by attending a local church service (and doing lots of waving while wearing fabulous outfits). Previous years have seen the whole gang getting in on the action, ranging from Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, along with Kate Middleton, Prince William and their brood of three.
However, due to current COVID guidelines, it's believed the Queen and Philip will be keeping things a lot more low-key this year. According to the Daily Mail's royal editor, Rebecca English, Sandringham is off the table completely. "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. Sandringham is off," she said in a new tweet.
It makes a lot of sense, doesn't it? English added that like many, the royals are hoping that next year's Christmas will resemble something much closer to normality. "A source tells me that the Queen and Duke feel ‘fortunate’ to spend Christmas with their family every year and understand this year will be different. Like everyone they hope things will get back to normal in 2021."
The royal insider also shared that while the Queen and Duke may be paid a visit by some family members, it's unlikely they'd be able to see everyone. However, we can rule out the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who won't be flying over to the UK from America, again due to the pandemic). "All the indications are that while they may see some family members, it will be quite a solitarily Christmas for the Queen and Prince Philip this year," says English. "The couple understand their family will have ‘competing demands’."
She added, "Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall will be spending Christmas Day at Highgrove - although they hope to see the Queen and Prince Philip at some point... even if it’s just outside for a walk."
It's still unknown how other members of the family, such as the Cambridges, are planning to spend the day.
Let's all keep our fingers crossed that Christmas 2021 will be full of hugs, mingling and rowing with your extended family members about what channel to watch.
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Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
