Queen Elizabeth might not be able to travel to Sandringham for Christmas on her intended day. Reports stated that Her Majesty could be forced to push her plans due to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
According to The Sun, if Johnson scores a victory in the elections then he could be calling on Queen Elizabeth to deliver the traditional Queen's Speech at the Parliament on Thursday, Dec. 19. However, for decades now, Her Majesty has been scheduling her trips to Sandringham on the last Thursday before Christmas.
This year, the last Thursday before Christmas falls on Dec. 19. But, Her Majesty's staff calendared in her attendance in the Parliament's opening some weeks ahead even as there was no fixed date at that time.
Now, an official statement from Downing Street confirmed that the Queen's Speech will be delivered on Dec. 19. The Prime Minister's office also confirmed that the opening will have "reduced ceremonial" since it's close to Christmas. However, if Johnson doesn't win in the general election, the Queen's Speech might likely be moved until January with the incoming administration.
The Queen's Speech is important in every State Opening of Parliament. The words are written by the elected Prime Minister but it is the monarch who delivers the message to the House of Lords. The gist of the speech contains the agenda of the government for the year ahead.
Meanwhile, there will be at least one family missing during the Queen's Christmas in Sandringham. Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and their son Archie Harrison will not be joining the royal family for the holidays as they will be in the United States to celebrate with the Duchess of Sussex's mother, Doria Ragland.
Buckingham Palace has confirmed that Prince Harry and Meghan will not be with the Queen this Christmas. According to the official statement, the Sussex family's decision has Her Majesty's support and blessing.
Also rumored to be skipping Christmas in Sandringham this year are Prince William and Kate Middleton. According to reports, the Cambridge family may decide to be with the Middletons since the last time they spent the holidays with Kate's family was in 2016.
Kensington Palace, however, has not released an official announcement regarding Prince William and Kate's Christmas plans with their three kids. Prince Harry and Meghan made the announcements earlier because, as a Buckingham spokesperson said there was much interest about the Sussex's Christmas plans from the press.
