Queen Elizabeth has not decided yet on whether she's skipping the walk to church for Christmas in Sandringham this year. Reports initially came out that Her Majesty canceled the royal family's annual tradition of heading to St. Mary Magdalene Church for the Christmas morning mass.
The Daily Express reported that Queen Elizabeth abandoned this annual activity in accordance with the government guidelines during this pandemic. In the past, the Queen and the royal family usually join the public to hear the service. They also spend some time shaking hands and talking to the crowd.
The report further quoted an insider who said that the Queen wants to abide by the government's rules as Prime Minister Boris Johnson tightened lockdown gatherings. Johnson's rule of six bans the convergence of more than six people and there are no indications if the prime minister will loosen the rules before the holiday.
But, officials from Buckingham Palace issued a denial and said that there is still no decision about Christmas for the royal family. The insider also said that it's still too early to make plans, per Daily Mail.
The Palace, however, agrees that the arrangement this year will be complicated because they have to protect the Queen and Prince Philip from contracting the virus. Royal staff members are reluctant for Queen Elizabeth and the rest of her kin to hear Christmas mass since this will encourage a gathering of crowds.
Apparently, over 1,500 people flock to the Sandringham streets to watch the Queen, Prince Philip, Prince Charles, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Cambridge children, and the rest of the royal family make their way to the church. Staff members are currently still under the assumption that this tradition will go ahead.
However, if the prime minister maintains the rule of six, then Queen Elizabeth has no choice but to skip church. This will apparently be the third time the Queen will miss going to church for Christmas morning. Her Majesty skipped the service in 2016 because of a cold and she was also unable to celebrate mass in 1953 since she was in New Zealand with Prince Philip for the Commonwealth tour.
Meanwhile, only Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are confirmed to miss Christmas in Sandringham again this year. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are not coming home for the holidays and will, instead, celebrate their first Christmas in Montecito, California.
A source revealed to Vanity Fair that Harry and Meghan are excited about their California Christmas. But, this will be their second year as a couple to miss the holiday celebration with Queen Elizabeth and the royal family as they were in Canada for Christmas 2019.
