Queen Elizabeth II was spotted leaving Buckingham Palace over the weekend. Based on previous reports, it was said that the Monarch "fled" the palace to stay in Windsor Castle.
While no confirmations were made then if this move was a precautionary measure amid the worsening COVID-19 case in the United Kingdom, several sources reportedly claimed that it was. However, it was only this week when Buckingham Palace released an official statement about the matter. As announced, there will be a "number of changes" to be made in the "Queen's diary."
According to FOX News, the official website of the Royal Family published the official announcement on Tuesday. The statement said that Queen Elizabeth II's stay at Windsor Castle, as well as the changes in her future engagements, are all for "practical reasons" and "sensible precaution" amid the "current circumstances" in the country.
Even so, her engagements this week before she officially stays in Berkshire will still "go ahead as planned." This mainly includes the receiving of the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, the Commanding Officer of the Queen, Captain Angus Essenhigh, and the Bishop of Hereford, Rt Revd Richard Jackson inside the Palace.
The official announcement also revealed that Queen Elizabeth II will officially move to Windsor Castle starting on Thursday. It will be a "week earlier" than usual since she always starts to spend the Easter season in the county the week before the annual Holy Week. It was also speculated that she will be spending more time there due to the worsening case of COVID-19 in the United Kingdom.
NY Daily News also added that the official statement from the Palace released that the future events to be hosted by the Queen will either be "cancelled or postponed." The same also applies to the rest of the Royal Family, especially if the engagement will involve a lot of audiences.
Buckingham Palace reportedly said that these events will include the Queen's "garden parties" in the next few months. Instead of pushing some of these through in May, the invited guests were said to be asked to attend in 2021.
Two other garden parties inside the Palace, notably the ones for the Not Forgotten Association and the National Trust, will also not happen. It was revealed, though, that these events will take place on a much later date.
Queen Elizabeth II will also not be in attendance at the annual Maundy Service on April 9 at the St George's Chapel. The official statement said that this will not go ahead this year as advised by the Medical Household and the Government.
