Queen Elizabeth has reassured her family she is ready to host their Christmas celebrations.
The 95-year-old monarch has missed a number of engagements in recent weeks after being hospitalised for an undisclosed condition and then suffering a back sprain, but she is now reportedly feeling “far better” and is “looking forward” to the traditional festive get-together at her Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
The coronavirus pandemic meant the queen and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh – who died in April aged 99 – spent Christmas without their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren last year, so she is particularly happy to be able to have her family around her next month.
A source told the Daily Mirror newspaper: “The queen has told everyone she is feeling far better of late and is very much looking forward to welcoming them for Christmas.
“Like many other families, this will be the first time Her Majesty can gather with her extended family after being kept apart for so long due to the coronavirus pandemic.”
The monarch is expected to travel to Sandringham around 17 December and she is likely to make the journey from Windsor via helicopter, though sources insisted her traditional train journey from London to Kings Lynn has not yet been ruled out.
On Christmas Day (25.12.21), the queen is said to be “determined” to attend the St. Mary Magdalene church with the rest of her family, but, as in previous years, she won’t join them in their traditional walk to the 16th century building as she’s likely to be driven.
Buckingham Palace refused to comment on the queen’s Christmas plans, insisting what the royal family do over the festive period is “a private affair”.