Queen Elizabeth is being asked by the British government to host a garden party specifically for coronavirus frontline workers at her official residence in Buckingham Palace. The list of attendees is now being drawn up, with thousands expected to get an invite.
According to Daily Mirror, among those who will be asked to join the garden party are the nurses and doctors, carers, postmen and delivery people, as well as essential store workers. Apparently, the government believes this will be a fitting way to thank all those who have made sacrifices for the public for the last three months and kept the U.K. moving despite the serious threats of COVID-19.
The garden party at Buckingham Palace will also recognize specific community heroes in the business and charity sector. A separate honor and party for these heroes could also be planned, similar to the Queen's jubilee celebration from 2012.
A source from Buckingham Palace, however, said that the government proposal will be carefully reviewed. Queen Elizabeth has not yet given her permission pending a clear idea of what the celebrations will entail and when this could potentially take place.
Right now, garden parties at Buckingham Palace are still canceled and the Queen is not expected to do public engagements until the end of the summer. She will remain in isolation with Prince Philip at Windsor Castle for the foreseeable future but royal observers said Her Majesty might be indisposed for the rest of the year if there are still no vaccines or treatments for the coronavirus.
Royal biographer Andrew Morton said that Queen Elizabeth's reign is "effectively over" because of the coronavirus. Because of the risks to the monarch's health, who is in her '90s, then Prince Charles is practically the one on the throne.
In fact, Prince Charles is meeting France President Emmanuel Macron for his visit to Clarence House on June 18. The Prince of Wales will step out of quarantine at his home in Birkhall, Scotland, to travel to the capital with his wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.
This will be the first, official, in-person public engagement for the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. However, palace sources said this will still not be a regular thing since the royals, especially those above 70 years old, are expected to observe safety measures to protect their health from the dreaded virus.
