The Queen Has Cancelled Her Annual Family Christmas Party In Sandringham
This is terrible news for anyone whose Christmas Day isn’t complete until they’ve seen Queen Elizabeth and her closest DNA relations put on their best hats and wool coats and get photographed walking to and from a church in Norfolk, England. I’m sorry, but your Christmas is ruined! And you have The Queen herself to thank for it (I’m sure if you send an angry letter now, she’ll receive it by the 25th). Buckingham Palace announced earlier today that The Queen’s annual holiday family tradition of gathering at her big fancy estate, Sandringham House, isn’t going to happen this year.
As you may already be familiar, The Queen does this thing every year where her family joins her at Sandringham for Christmas and they do a grand walk to church in front of photographers and regular people who lined up to watch. Last year was a big one, due to some drama surrounding the news that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were bailing (they likely wanted to enjoy a nice quiet Christmas at home, planning out their escape route). Prince Philip was sick, so he bowed out too. And then, you know, there was (ahem) Prince Andrew’s whole thing. It was A Very Damage Control Christmas. If The Queen was hoping last year that Christmas would get back to normal in 2020, she was mistaken. COVID-19 has swooped in and effectively put a stop to hosting a large feast in one of Sandringham’s many banquet halls. via People magazine:
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 on Tuesday.
A royal source tells People, “They are fortunate to spend Christmas with their family every year, but they understand that their family will have competing demands over the Christmas period and are content to have a quiet festive season this year.”
Royal biographer Robert Lacey tells People that Christmas is The Queen’s thing, and she loves to go all-out hosting her family. So she’s sad about the decision to cancel this year. However, she has accepted that it is what it is, and I’m sure she’ll have a great time at home. Maybe Philip can throw a couple of chains around his neck and convince her she’s been visited by the ghost of Jacob Marley.
People says that the other royals have more or less figured out what they’re doing for Christmas. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be hosting her mom in Montecito, California. Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla will be at their home, Highgrove. Prince William and Duchess Kate haven’t told anyone their plans yet, but People thinks they could go hang out with Kate’s parents, as they have done in the past.
But, there is a chance they might still get to see The Queen. In the UK, COVID restrictions have been loosened a bit for the Christmas season (lockdown is officially scheduled to end on December 2nd). According to the UK’s holiday plan, a household can “bubble” with two other family groups over five days, between December 23rd and December 27th. A source says that The Queen will likely see some of her family over the holidays. But however could The Queen choose who to bubble with? Obviously, the first household she’ll choose will be her precious little poopsie Prince Andrew. The second could be tough. Who in their right mind would want to make an already crummy Christmas even worse by sharing a holiday bubble with Andrew??
Pic: Wenn.com