Queen Elizabeth will celebrate Christmas differently this 2020 like the rest of the world as the health threats of COVID-19 are still very much present, especially during social gatherings.
A report on People stated that the Christmas plans of the royal family are still not confirmed but all signs point to a scaled-down affair. This means that there will be no big meals shared at the dinner table, no games and songs, and no parties because the family will most likely be separated.
Queen Elizabeth is still isolating in Windsor with Prince Philip and has not yet decided if she'll leave for Sandringham, her traditional Christmas and New Year estate. According to royal expert Katie Nicholl, the Queen has been feeling "a bit low" because the lockdowns continue.
In November, the U.K. went into a second nationwide lockdown because the COVID-19 cases are still high. Expectedly, the restrictions will ease up in the first week of December, but people are still highly discouraged not to have large gatherings, such as Christmas parties.
Earlier, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that he might allow three different households to gather and have their own "Christmas bubble" from Dec. 23 to 27. But this will be hard for the royal family because they have, at best, more than six households.
The Queen must therefore choose which household can join her and Prince Philip in Sandringham. The royal family's household groups include Prince Charles and Camilla, Princess Anne and her husband Timothy Laurence, Zara Tindall and her family, Peter Phillips and his daughters, Prince Andrew, the Wessexes, the Cambridges, the Mappeli Mozzis, and the Brooksbanks.
The Queen also has her cousins and extended family, but they might not be allowed to join family gatherings due to their vulnerable ages. At least two elderly members of the royal family have been publicly known to have had the virus, Prince Charles and the Queen's cousin-in-law, Princess Michael. However, the prime minister said that families could make their "personal judgment" on how they can best spend this very challenging holiday without putting family members at risk.
However, Prince William and Kate Middleton might decide to join the Middletons at Berkshire since they haven't celebrated actual Christmas days with Kate's side of the family for years. On the other hand, Prince Harry and Meghan have decided well ahead of time that they will not fly back to the U.K. for the holidays because of the travel risks.
