The Queen has decided to cancel her annual tradition of celebrating Christmas at her Sandringham estate in eastern England for the second year in a row amid fears of spiking COVID-19 cases in the UK.

The 95-year-old monarch will instead celebrate the holiday at Windsor Castle, west of London, where royal family members and friends will visit her.

Royal sources said that the Queen had hoped to spend the first Christmas since Prince Philip’s death at the Norfolk estate, surrounded by her loved ones. However, it was also her who made the ‘personal’ decision of staying at Windsor as the omicron variant continues to spread across the country.


The Queen’s announcement of her changed plans came after reports of an additional 91,743 lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases in the UK as of December 21. The Government also confirmed that a further 44 people had died.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said there had been 8,044 additional confirmed cases of the Omicron variant, bringing the total confirmed cases of the variant in the UK to 45,145.

At the height of the pandemic last year, the Queen and her husband, Prince Philip, were also encouraged to stay at home and remain at Windsor Castle.

Typically, royal family members and guests would visit Her Majesty at Sandringham in the early afternoon on Christmas Eve, where she would be greeting them with a big gathering.

There, the royal members would open their presents on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas Day. And on the following day, the family would walk to a church service at St. Mary’s Magdalene Church, located within the estate. After the mass, they would head back to Sandringham House for another day of festivities.

Earlier this week, the Queen was said to have avoided going to church in Windsor and instead decided to celebrate privately. Sources reported that she would likely not attend services on Christmas Day.

It has not yet been confirmed where Prince Charles, his wife Camilla, Prince William, and his wife Kate Middleton will spend Christmas.