I’m still sort of surprised by how little the Queen has done during the lockdown. She went into quarantine too late (she was still doing events in Buckingham Palace in the week of March 16th-19th) and then she waited too long to make a speech about the crisis. She, like nearly every member of her family, was too slow to embrace social media as a way to engage the peasants during a moment of global crisis. And now it’s looking like everything at Windsor and Buckingham Palace will be closed through the summer. Of course it will – even in normal times, the Queen would shut down BP in late June so she could spend a summer holiday in Balmoral, Scotland. I assume that will be the same this year – the Queen will not have any schedule through June, then she’ll hop on a plane and head to Balmoral.
The Queen will remain at Windsor Castle indefinitely with all her public engagements on hold until the threat from coronavirus clears. Buckingham Palace will be closed for the summer for what is believed to be the first time in 27 years, with events including Trooping the Colour and Her Majesty’s garden parties cancelled, The Sunday Times reports today. It is believed to be the 94-year-old monarch’s longest absence from her official duties in her 68 year reign, with her schedule not expected to resume until into the autumn at the earliest.
The Queen is currently residing at Windsor Castle with her husband Prince Philip, who turns 99 next month. The couple have been isolated there with a reduced household since March 19. The Queen usually returns from Windsor to her central London residence in May before her annual break at Balmoral in July, which is also expected not to go ahead. A state visit from South Africa is also on hold for the time being, while investitures will be rearranged to later dates.
The Queen – who delivered an electrifying speech on VE Day praising Britain’s spirit during lockdown – has said in the past that she feels she has ‘to be seen to be believed’, so the measures are expected to be felt deeply by the monarch. Her last public engagement was the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in March – which was also Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s final official appearance as senior members of the Royal Family.
A royal source told the publication: ‘The Queen won’t do anything which goes against the advice of people in her [age] category and she’s going to take all the appropriate advice… she’d want to be seen to be being responsible in her actions.’
On one side, I feel like the Queen is genuinely being responsible and trying to show “her people” to take it slow when businesses do begin to open up, which will likely be happening across North America and Europe in the next two months. The Queen is showing what a “phased re-open” looks like by f–king off to Scotland until October. But… yeah, the issue is still that the people around the Queen haven’t figured out how to also show Britain that the Queen is a leader, to show that she’s actually working and paying attention as a deadly pandemic rages through the world.
The Queen did do another video for VE Day. This was only her second moment on-camera since going into semi-isolation in Windsor in March.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Avalon Red.
I love how each and every news from RF comes with a nod to Meghan and Harry leaving. How long will it take for these people to move on?
I mean, it is not like the Sussexes are the only ones to officially leave the firm. There is another Royal who stepped them from his duties last year- you know, the one who actually enjoyed some sex trafficking and saw no problems in having sex with seventeen years old?
One of the RR; Richard Palmer, literally said that he hasn’t reported much on Prince Andrew’s shady swiss chalet finance dealings recently cos of the VE day celebrations, but it was not a ‘good look’. This is the same reporter who claimed that H&M were walking from one controversy to another.
I think that group of Royalists are particularly angry with Harry cos he actually put his wife first instead of… I dunno… cheating one her and partying with convicted sexual predators. It goes against their values.
“put his wife first instead of… I dunno… cheating one her and partying with convicted sexual predators. It goes against their values.”….IT GOES AGAINST THEIR VALUES….OMG ROTFLMAO !!!!!!!!
@Prayer Warrior: It really does, lol. Look at the UK Prime Minister – he’s the ultimate toff. Married multiple times, cheated on the wives, got mistresses to have abortions, still doesn’t publicly acknowledge his illigitmate child/ren (no one knows how many kids he actually has), had the police called on him by the neighbours cos they suspected some sort of domestic with the most current mistress AND THE POLICE COVERED IT UP.
If Boris was from a working class background or black, this alone would have ruined his career.
The most current mistress was actually dating Boris’ friend when she started cheating with Boris. And that same guy actually tweeted on how we ‘should all support Boris’ response to Covid-19′. This guy has been cucked to the extreme and still kissing his ‘lord’s ass – these people are really something!
That other royal who stepped down will probably join her in Balmoral.
Charles and William are getting ready to rumble for control.
Jokes on them cos the only ones really in control are the tabloids.
So true!
I’ll look forward to seeing prince williams regency campaign 2.0, his first attempt was a disaster. It’s funny how kate seems to be making more zoom calls than him, probably cos he’s the one that keeps putting his foot in it.
His ego probably can’t handle how terrible he looks on camera.
I can’t wait for when the writers of ‘The Windsors’ get round to season 4. They can have a field day with all this
People say this and I just don’t get it. This isn’t France in the 1700s. The monarchy in the U.K. has little power to struggle over. They all live lives of luxury. William is going to be king, he just needs to wait his time. What’s there to fight over?
Not being controlled by the person who has more power than you or being compared unfavorably to them. You can do that by being a favorite of theirs ( Sophie’s method) or by putting them in a situation to be criticized if they tried to make you do something you don’t want to do.
Right now if William and Kate want to continue keeping their workload light, Charles trying to do anything about it will result in articles about the Cambridges trying to give their children a better childhood than William had because of Charles and Diana.
The Sussexes working more made the Cambridges look bad. So we got the budget plane stunt and the leak about Broken Britain etc.
The problem with this method is you always need a scapegoat and people who won’t do the same thing back.
Occasionally we do see pushback but mostly by the press: Kate at Lululemon instead of guest editing the Huffington Post or William’s sad partying in Switzerland.
@Mumbles that is the logical response. These royals aren’t logical when it comes to the spotlight, control, etc. There may not be a lot of power but there is influence, particularly over the press.
It will be interesting to see how the press handles Charles during his reign.
It’s sensible, she’s in her 90s and in the vulnerable group so should take it easy.
Now if only she as CEO had got her Firm in order she might still have had extra pair of working royals to help with the ‘workload’ aka all the attempts they will be making to show why royals are useful. Oh well
Willnot and Kannot must be so jelly, they’re still stuck doing Zoom meetings and phone calls.
Looooool!!!
Oh have no fear, they’ll be disappearing soon enough for their summer hols. And we’ll get article after article and Camb stans shouting from the rooftops about how much they deserve their summer months off after their 6 whole zoom calls and being at home with their children. Mark my words, it’s coming.
I hope the Cambridges take all of summer off.
She won’t be missed at all. She is hardly working for quite some years already. The RF and the government must stop pretending she is really productive at age 94. In fact she only ‘works’ six months of the year, during which time she is 3 to 4 days at Buckingham palace, the rest of the weekdays she’s having weekend break at Windsor castle. She spends the other 6 months vacationing: 3 months extended summer in Scotland at Balmoral castle and 3 months winter/christmas break at Sandringham. Well that’s a nice way to ‘reign’ a monarchy at the taxpayers expences of about 400 Million pond a year. Becky needs to abdicate. Time to go now and stop pretending to be capable for the position. Her ‘Godly contract’ is long overdue. But…who’s gonna tell her to go?
No one will tell her to abdicate.
She should have done it last year.
well said @Nita. tired of the farce and printing year end totals that she does so many engagements a year. it’s all publicly funded BS. they trotted her out to read two prepared speeches and on cue the reporters gushed how electric it was. best they go into lockdown forever.
I don’t want her to abdicate it would move WIlliam and Kate up and that would be annoying.
As a Brit, what astounds me most is that any little thing she does is blown up into this amazing thing. I get it, she’s old, but the bar is set so low. I don’t know how much of it is hyped up by the media, but when I see people praising her for a speech as if she’s just announced the 2nd coming of Christ – I do really think ‘we’re the 2nd highest Covid-19 deaths, and this is what your focussing on’?
I don’t know how much of it is she harks back to a more nostalgic time, where Royalists romanticise war, without acknowledging the unsavoury parts…like the deaths and destruction.
Yeah I know–“an electrifying speech,” the article said. LOLOL
She honestly should have abdicated a few years ago when Philip officially retired. She won’t but she should.
Makes me wonder if the whole “Charles will become regent when she’s 95” that was reported after Andrew did his interview has any truth to it. But becoming regent is not as easy as it sounds. It’s actually a massive step as it signals that the monarch is physically and mentally unable to do her duties. HM has made stupid decisions, keeps her head in the sand like an ostrich and is old but that doesn’t necessarily mean she’s mentally/physically incapable. It'[s a massive step like I said and it can’t be taken just so HM can have a retirement If she wants to retire, she needs to abdicate.
I agree. I’ve commented before she should have made him regent 2 or 3 decades ago.
The Queen has made bad decisions for years but then again so has Charles. I am glad she’s staying where she is if only to keep WIlliam and Kate from moving up now.
Oops I just wrote a comment on the Cambridge video post that maybe should go here. Basically I think the Queen has retired and Charles is in charge now. I think the lazy Cambridges have a new acting coach now that they actually listen to, hence the bubby video on VE day.
The Firm is scrambling, like all businesses, to stay solvent during the pandemic. Their solvency depends on people believing their line of sh]t, which they previously kept on display with Trooping the Colors and Ascot and walkabouts. Can’t do that, so get Will and Kate some coaching and put them on TV.
I’m not saying they are decent people now – I think the Willnots already took one vacation to somewhere sunny during the pandemic – she was really tan for a week.
She doesn’t ordinarily leave for Balmoral until the beginning of August. The gardens are open to the public April through the end of July. She doesn’t arrive until after the gates have closed on the last public visitor. She flies up early July for Holyrood Week, back to London until the start of August. The Fail should know this by now.
This year, Balmoral is not opening to the public because of COVID-19. That’s why she could fly there tomorrow and not be bothered by visiting peasants for months.
The Queen’s speech was wonderful and inspiring. Further, the documentary “The Queen at War” is amazing. I wish we had anything half that inspiring in America.
Once upon a time, long ago I too had a queen I found wonderful and inspiring. I’m talking almost 60 years of being proud of the queen and proud she headed our CW nation. I’ve seen her on my money, in every post office and police station in the country, and her picture was in every elementary school classroom I attended. I grew up proud and fond of my queen.
Then she smiled for a pedophile and I realized exactly what I had worshiped all these years. Cue the pain and rage of having been so badly fooled by her act.
Yeah, those smiling photos to church literally the day after that awful interview sealed it for me. If she wasn’t aware then, she certainly is now.
Yes, the curtains have been pulled back in the last few years. The woman behind them is not much to write home about.
@Ruby_Woo – and the even bigger grins on the trip to church after Epstein died
Speaking of her smiling, has Lizzy chipped or broken a tooth, or has it always been like that?
There is a long line of Americans (and Brits) I find far more inspiring than QE II. The modern British monarchy just isn’t much to write home about in the grand scheme of things.
To be honest, I don’t see her being able to hold public events in autumn, either. At her age she’s in a particularly vulnerable group, and by the sounds of it, autumn will start the major second wave of this.
I’m reading this while watching Justin do his daily address to our country
Damn I’m loving his longer hair and grey stubble
I watched the Queens address and wondered out loud if she had her hair stylist quarantined with her?
With all the deaths in Britain I would hate to have to style someone’s hair outside of my inner circle
That’s a good point. The RRs don’t really report on how many staff are currently attending / residing with various RF houses.
At this point, she’s probably wearing wigs, permanently styled the same old boring, unflattering way. Her hair hasn’t varied a strand in decades.
Queenie needs to retire, stat. She is out of touch and incapable of handling current crises.
Charles did nothing about helping Harry.
Maybe it’s a wig?
Until Autumn? That’s our Spring, so… September, October, November? Nah, I think she’s done working, and who could blame her? She won’t abdicate, though.
I think alot of people are enjoying the current situation! My friend who’s a bus driver in Aberdeen is enjoying his new lifestyle thanx to the government being clear from the get go about social distancing. Similarly I think royals like the keenbridges probably think it’s the ideal “work” situation which only requires them to do one zoom meeting which will be cut into parts for weeks.
I think we’ll be seeing less from queen from now on. Lizzy didn’t even bother wave from the balcony or something which is unusual!!
As a member of her Commonwealth, let’s be real: She’s not a leader. She’s a stamp on legs.