Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, are no longer taking chances amid the global pandemic coronavirus. The royal family is postponing their public engagements and trips to ensure the health and safety of its senior family members.
According to reports, Buckingham Palace confirmed on Friday that Queen Elizabeth, who is turning 94 in April, is changing her scheduled commitments in the coming weeks. The Queen was originally supposed to travel to Cheshire and Camden but it will be rescheduled to a later date as advised by the Medical Household and Government.
The Queen, however, will still welcome visitors to the palace. Other royal events will be evaluated on an ongoing basis.
Prince Charles and Camilla, who are both in their 70s, are also pushing back their trip to three countries scheduled for next week. Clarence House announced that the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will not proceed with their royal tour of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus and Jordan for the time being. The Prince of Wales was advised by the British government to delay their trip "owing to the unfolding situation with the coronavirus pandemic."
Those over 65 years old are more vulnerable to coronavirus, or COVID-19. The United Kingdom has yet to impose a lockdown as the number of confirmed patients infected with coronavirus has risen to 798 with 11 deaths.
However, sources told BBC that mass gatherings and other action plan to slow down the spread of the deadly disease will be released to the public next week. It comes as the World Health Organization declared that Europe is the new epicenter of the virus after China. This means that aggressive measures must be taken to save lives.
Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth is foregoing handshakes when she welcomes guests and dignitaries in Buckingham Palace. But there are concerns that she may already be exposed after meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Johnson was at the Commonwealth Service last March 9 and interacted with the royal family. However, the prime minister also worked closely Nadine Dorries, the British health minister. Dorries announced that she has coronavirus and her mom is also infected. Both are currently in self-isolation.
Royal experts say that despite the virus scare, Queen Elizabeth is not slowing down. While precautions are being observed, the Queen will "keep soldering on." To date, the Queen has also not yet canceled the upcoming garden parties and events at Buckingham for the summer, including Princess Beatrice's wedding.
