About 20 royal household staff members in Sandringham are reportedly planning a mutiny after they were told to set aside their Christmas plans. These workers will need to isolate from their families to serve Queen Elizabeth, who plans to stay at her holiday home this December with Prince Philip.
According to the Daily Mail, the 20 royal workers include cleaners, maintenance and laundry staff who won't be allowed to go home during the holidays for at least a month. They have been ordered to maintain the royal bubble protecting Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip from the coronavirus spread.
But, the workers are apparently not happy with the orders; thus, making the monarch "furious," sources said. The royal household staff members apparently feel that "enough is enough" because they have been "pushed too far" from all these isolations and restrictions.
An insider said that there are discussions with the royal household staff and palace officials to come up with a better arrangement. However, it's unclear how this will change the Queen's Christmas plans.
Traditionally, Queen Elizabeth celebrates Christmas with the royal family at her Sandringham estate, which is a few miles off Windsor Castle. One of the plans that Palace officials have come up with is to create a strict royal bubble between the two houses so that the Queen and her husband may go from Windsor to Sandringham without any problems.
However, it's not just the staff revolt that might hamper the Queen's Christmas plans. The U.K. government's current COVID-19 regulations include a new rule of six that prohibits a large gathering, which might extend over the festive season, per Daily Mirror.
Sources said that this means the Queen will have to forego her Sandringham Christmas lunches and dinners with the royal family. Church attendance might also not be possible to prevent a crowd that usually gathers to watch the royal family walk to church to hear mass on Christmas day.
But, an insider from Buckingham Palace said that the royal family's plans for Christmas are still not finalized. Activities that are likely take place will need to be carefully considered, taking into account the guidelines from the government.
It comes as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reportedly "desperate" spend their Christmas with the royal family after skipping last year's gathering. Daily Express reported that the Sussexes want their son, Archie, to spend the holidays with his great-grandparents amid the "uncertainty of COVID."
