The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the U.K. is now increasing, and to protect the Queen from contracting the virus, Buckingham Palace announced Queen Elizabeth II already canceled some of her public engagements. The virus is expected to get worse in the coming weeks, and it may affect Princess Beatrice's wedding, resulting in Her Majesty's absence.
Everything seems to be planned for the Princess of York's wedding until the coronavirus outbreak. A lot of countries are in lockdown to control the spread of the virus, social distancing is imposed, and big gatherings are canceled. As the elderlies are reportedly more susceptible to this disease, there are reports Her Royal Highness may not attend her granddaughter's wedding to protect herself.
According to New Idea, people ages 60 and up are more likely to get hit by the virus. As Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip, are both in their 90s, they may skip Princess Beatrice's wedding with her fiancé, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, at The Chapel Royal at St James's Palace in London.
England's Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said the coronavirus outbreak in the U.K. would peak in about 10 to 14 weeks. Hence, as Princess Beatrice's wedding is about to take place in 11 weeks, it may affect the event.
Queen Elizabeth already canceled some of her royal engagements due to Covid-19. Buckingham Palace released a statement about the matter, explaining the decision was a "sensible precaution and for practical reasons in the current circumstances."
There would be changes in Queen Elizabeth's diary commitments in the coming weeks after consultation with the medical household and government was made. Her scheduled visits to Cheshire and Camden would be moved to a different date, while the audiences would continue as usual. Part of the canceled engagements was a visit to the Camden area of London and Cheshire in northwest England
Express reported that there were about 800 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the U.K., and experts warned this number could possibly go higher. The Government predicted that in the worse-case scenario, 100,000 people could die from coronavirus in the country.
In a report published in the medical journal JAMA, which examined over 72,000 Chinese coronavirus patients, it found that its overall fatality rate was 2.3 percent. However, in the adult spectrum, it went up to 15 percent.
As the coronavirus outbreak is getting worst, Queen Elizabeth should stay away from the huge gatherings to keep herself safe. Sadly, it may include Princess Beatrice's wedding that will happen on May 29, the time the virus is expected to hit the U.K. the hardest.
