Queen Cancels Christmas Party Due to Omicron Variant Spike

The Queen's traditional pre-Christmas lunch with her family at Windsor Castle has been cancelled due to the ongoing spike in Omicron variant cases.

Despite Her Majesty's commitment to honouring the royal family's Christmas plans, the monarch was forced to axe the event.

The annual Christmas party was scheduled to take place on Tuesday, December 21, 2021, and marks the largest gathering of the whole family since the Duke of Edinburgh died in April.

ITV's royal correspondent Chris Shipp tweeted the news that the Queen had cancelled the plan, saying, “The Queen is said to regret the decision to cancel the traditional pre-Christmas lunch with her family, but it was decided it was the right thing to do.”

While three of her four new grandchildren, August, Lucas and Sienna, were expected to attend the lunch, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and their son Archie and newborn Lilibet will remain in the US.

After the Christmas party, the Queen was scheduled to fly via helicopter to Sandringham House where she would be joined by Prince William, the Duchess of Cambridge and their children, who will be staying close by at their Norfolk property, Amner Hall.

Traditionally, the family also gets together at Sandringham on Christmas Eve for dinner, where they keep a tradition that pays tribute to the royal family's German heritage.

The family then have an additional feast on Christmas Day, where they eat a turkey lunch after attending the Christmas Mass at St Mary Magdalene's Church on the Sandringham Estate.

Now that the Windsor event is cancelled, it is unclear when Her Majesty will travel to Sandringham and which members of the royal family might join her there.

This is a particularly challenging festive period for Her Majesty, who lost her husband earlier this year.

It will be her first Christmas without him and, unfortunately, possibly without her extended family too.

The Queen is currently residing in Windsor Castle, where she remains on light duties following multiple health scares in recent weeks.

An ITV film crew recorded the Queen's Christmas Day address several weeks ago.

The Mail reported last week that palace aides were also exploring options for the monarch to appear in public in the run-up to December 25th to wish the country a very happy Christmas.

Although photographs and videos have been released by Buckingham Palace of the Sovereign undertaking in person and virtual audiences with foreign ambassadors, dignitaries and the Prime Minister, all meetings have taken place behind palace walls.

The hope is that the Queen will be well enough to take part in a short public engagement in the castle grounds.

Her appearance will be seen as a small shot of joy in difficult times.

It won't be a normal Christmas, but like many families around the country, it will be as normal as it can get, a source said.

The Queen was last seen in public at a Windsor Castle reception on October 19th.

The next day she cancelled a trip to Northern Ireland and was taken to hospital overnight for undisclosed preliminary tests.

She was ordered to rest for several weeks and since then has undertaken a small number of low-key engagements, including recording a video message for the COP26 summit.

The decision to cancel the Christmas party comes after strong warnings by England's chief medical officer about the spread of the Omicron variant, calling on people to be careful so that Christmas could be preserved.

Professor Chris Whitty said people should prioritise what matters to them when considering attending parties and other events during the Christmas period.

The Omicron coronavirus variant is spreading at a rate not seen with previous variants, according to the World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

And officials in Britain say the country is facing a tidal wave of infections from Omicron.

The strain has become dominant in London, out-competing the previous Delta variant.