A short gathering on the grounds of Windsor Castle is planned for the queen to convey her holiday greetings, according to palace sources.
After receiving the go-ahead from her physicians to resume her official responsibilities, palace staff is said to be eager to see Queen Elizabeth II in public within the next two weeks.
The British monarch has spent much of her time indoors at her Windsor Castle residence, following her doctor’s recommendation to undertake only minor activities from her desk. She has largely had audiences inside palace gates in the days after she was instructed to rest for two weeks after an overnight visit to the hospital.
Buckingham Palace has started using images released on its official Twitter feed to keep royal followers up to date on the queen’s engagements. She may, however, resurface in public before the family’s annual Christmas celebration at her Norfolk estate. The British royals have a tradition of spending Christmas at Sandringham.
According to the Daily Mail, palace aides are considering ways for Queen Elizabeth II to extend her holiday pleasantries to the people over the next two weeks. While there is no set date for when this will happen, it is reported that the plan was hatched after her doctors agreed to let her hold her annual secret pre-Christmas dinner for extended family members. It is generally held at Buckingham Palace, however this year it will be held at Windsor Castle.
As per Ibtimes, the 95-year-old is expected to be well enough to join a short public engagement in the castle grounds. Seeing her in public again would be a “small shot of joy” in the midst of this difficult year, according to reports. “It won’t be a normal Christmas,” a source told the publication, but like many families around the country, it will be as normal as it can get.”
During a ceremony at Windsor Castle on Oct. 19, Queen Elizabeth II was last seen in public. Since then, she has had to cancel her travel to Northern Ireland and has canceled a number of events, including the COP26 climate change meeting in Scotland and the Cenotaph’s Festival of Remembrance. However, she was present at the All Saints Chapel in Great Windsor Park, Berkshire, for the christening of Princess Eugenie’s son August and Zara Tindall’s baby Lucas in November.
