Princess Anne’s Husband Tests Positive for Covid, Forcing the Couple to Cancel Christmas Plans with the Queen

The Queen’s Christmas plans have been further disrupted as Princess Anne’s husband, Sir Timothy Lawrence, has tested positive for Covid-19.

Buckingham Palace sources report that this means the couple will not be joining the monarch at Windsor Castle for the holiday season this year.

Sir Timothy contacted people on Monday this week, notifying them that he had tested positive.

He sent out emails claiming that he had communicated with a Covid transmitter and that he had tested positive for the virus.

He is currently recovering from the virus and is understood to be self-isolating at Gatcombe Park, where he lives with his wife, Princess Anne.

Sources also said that the Princess Royal is also isolating at her home in Gloucestershire.

Princess Anne, who has never disclosed her vaccination status, does not need to self-isolate for 10 days if she is fully vaccinated, according to current government regulations on Covid.

Currently, it is not yet known whether Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, and Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be spending their Christmas.

Royal expert Angela Levin says the Queen will be disappointed that Anne will not be able to join the festive gathering.

She tweeted, “The Queen will be disappointed not to see Princess Anne at Windsor Castle because her husband Sir Timothy has tested positive for Covid.

Anne is very dutiful and the offspring most like the late Prince Philip.

Same sense of humour, same attitude.

Hopefully he will recover soon.”

The reports on Sir Timothy come just hours after the Queen made the decision to scrap her traditional festive break on the Sandringham Estate amid the rise of Covid infections.

The move, a royal source said, was a personal one taken after careful consideration, which reflects a precautionary approach.

Instead, the 95-year-old monarch will remain at Windsor Castle where it is intended members of her close family will visit her.

It is the first Christmas the Queen will spend without her beloved husband, Prince Philip, who passed away in April.

The Queen decided to change her plans and stay in Windsor during the festive period this week.

Sources also confirmed at the time that it was expected the monarch would be joined by members of the royal family but did not specify which ones and when they would arrive.

Last week, a royal source announced the monarch had decided against hosting her traditional pre-Christmas party open to the extended members of her family.

This lunch normally takes place at Buckingham Palace but, after last year’s cancellation due to Covid, the monarch was planning to host it at her Berkshire residence.

On Christmas Day, the Queen normally attends the 11am service in the company of her relatives and guests staying at the palace.

It isn’t yet clear whether the monarch and her loved ones will step out of Windsor Castle this year for the service or will refrain from doing so in order to avoid a gathering of royal well-wishers.

This shielded Christmas comes also in the wake of a period troubled by health issues for the Queen.

Health concerns for the monarch were first made public on October 20th, when the palace announced she had agreed to cancel a planned trip to Northern Ireland and rest for a few days following her doctor’s advice.

She has since scrapped all her engagements outside of palace walls, including the attendance at the National Service of Remembrance.

However, the Queen has continued to carry out her day-to-day duties as sovereign, including dealing with the government’s red boxes.

Moreover, she has regularly held audiences with foreign ambassadors, diplomats, and honorees, either by video link or in person.