Here in America, the Thanksgiving holiday gave us a dry-run at seeing what a Pandemic Christmas is going to look like. I was happy to spend some time outdoors with my mom, but that was because we were enjoying unseasonably nice weather here in the mid-Atlantic on Thanksgiving day. It feels like Christmas will probably be different, and while there are promises of vaccines delivered over the next month, the truth is that we’ll all still be social-distanced and isolated over Christmas. Even the royals will have to change up their regular Christmas plans – I realized, just the other day, that there would be no Christmas Day “walk to church” for the Windsors, and that they might not even go to Sandringham. People Mag had some exclusives about how the Windsors will likely just do their own thing separately this year:
Prince William and Kate Middleton, and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are ending the year as they started it: An ocean apart. And that means that the holiday festivities are going to be very different this year. While the arrangements have yet to be confirmed as they await updated governmental guidelines amid the second lockdown in England, Queen Elizabeth is certain of one thing: The traditions and the accompanying entertaining will be scaled down.
William and Kate are “are waiting to hear [about U.K. government guidelines] just like everyone else” about whether and where they can travel, a source tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue. ‘The children miss their great-granny, but it’s the same rules for them as everyone.”
The Queen, 94, is currently in isolation in Windsor Castle with husband Prince Philip, 99, and has yet to decide whether to stay there or head to her Sandringham Estate in Norfolk for the traditional Christmas and New Year’s holiday. With all the upheaval “she might want a rest — you never know,” says a former staffer. “She might be happier for a quieter household this year.”
“Christmas is something the Queen has always done with enormous, genuine family style, and is facing not doing so sadly,” royal biographer Robert Lacey, author of Battle of Brothers, says in this week’s issue. But “she is accepting of that.”
Like many families, the Queen is waiting to see what kind of family events will be possible when the U.K. government announces updated guidelines amid the current lockdown in England. But she and her staff have already canceled the annual sparkling reception for diplomats and embassy staffs who are usually entertained at Buckingham Palace in early December. The holiday party for her extended family at the palace later in the month has also been called off.
Yeah. Everyone’s being pretty squirrelly about where they’re going to be. My guess is: Kate and William at Anmer Hall with their kids, plus Carole and Michael Middleton. Pippa Middleton will probably be with her terribly moderately wealthy husband and his family. Princess Anne will probably stay at her place and see her kids and grandkids. I bet Charles and Camilla won’t make an effort to see the Queen on Christmas either.
The Daily Mail’s Eden Confidential column says as much too – their sources say that Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex will likely stay with the Queen for Christmas, but that’s probably it. They don’t mention Prince Andrew, but he’s mummy’s favorite, so who knows. But this columnist says that the Queen might just spend Christmas day quietly with just a handful of people, then she’ll host a big Boxing Day hunt and invite everyone since they’ll all be outside.
Also: I’m super-curious about just how much “tradition” the Queen does try to keep. For her entire life, she’s only done Christmas one way: the same Germanic holiday traditions begun by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Will she be able to alter those Victorian/German traditions for one year? I kind of doubt it.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Avalon Red.
For the CBs who live in the UK, does anyone really truly care?
No we do not.
seconded
I am just surprised to see tabloids covering this so much……I assume this is coming from BP men in gray again but why waste the time? no one is paying attention anyway
It’s to cover for her tantrums that her staff would not quarantine for a month so she could have her Sandringham Christmas.
@VS – The British tabloids have NOTHING else to write about.
Nope.
Thirded. I’ve gone off the monarchy since the chased Meghan and Harry out, and that’s putting it mildly!
Oh boo hoo Liz. I’m sure that the royals are happy to be spending the holidays apart.
But, and hear me out on this, has she considered not treating certain members of the family like cr*p or giving others in the family carte Blanche to do so? It’s been proven that 100% of family members who don’t get treated like ish want to stick around.
Right? I love how they make it sound like Harry and Meghan would be visiting for Xmas if it weren’t for the pandemic. As if!
COVID is spiking. Is she not aware?
The BRF should be modeling good behavior by staying home. They are so out of touch with reality.
@ Mac and Tessa, apparently not, but I am also reading into PWT and Keen being upset about no Caribbean holiday either, which they will probably ignore the rules anyway since rules don’t apply to them!!
Apparently some people think it will be too “political” to wear a mask and social distance. ::Rolls Eyes::
I know! Putting this kind of story out there, when people are struggling and dying, it’s just so tone deaf. No one is going to have a normal holiday season this year.
At least or hopefully there won’t be a display of Little George being treated more “special” than his siblings. I think it is a little too soon to have George getting all the special treatment. Charlotte had to be told she was not allowed to stir the pudding.
Ahhh sweet karma. Short lived due to
reality… these butt
Holes still sleep in a palace paid for by peasants
All I have to say to this one is give me the biggest break ever 🙄
She’s probably secretly thrilled. She shunts all of the children off to a different wing of the castle anyway, so this faux hand-wringing is not at all convincing.
@lorelei, my mom with mid-stage Alzheimer’s wept on Thursday when we FaceTimed, because we told her it was Thanksgiving and she (and my dad) couldn’t be with us. Wept. We kept having to tell her the reasons why because she would forget from one sentence to the next. My kids are in in-person hybrid school (they go two, half-days a week) and while they show no symptoms of illness, they could be asymptomatic carriers. She’s immunocompromised and I’d never forgive myself if she died because we had her over for Thanksgiving. So we FaceTimed instead, but it was a poor substitute. Families around the world are facing these same hardships. I don’t feel bad for you, QEII. More so, I feel bad for your employees who are quarantined away from their immediate families so they can be in your service.
Oh Noodle I’m so sorry; it must be so frustrating for you, someone *genuinely* affected, to read nonsense like this. Fingers crossed that the vaccines are effective and things will be very different for us all by next Thanksgiving. Anyone who feels pity for the Queen is a sucker, imo.
Oh Noodle, my heart breaks for your mom. Much love to you and family.
There’s definitely going to be no Christmas Walk this year. I think the Wessexes + Andrew will spend it with Liz and Phil, Beatrice and Eugenie will spend it with their husbands and possibly their in-laws, Anne will probably spend it with her kids and granddaughters in Gatcombe, the Cambridges will probably spend it with Carole and Mike and the Sussexes will possibly be Doria
Eh…they’re ALREADY talking about “skirting the bubble rule” by having STILL having *everyone* for the outdoor shoot on Boxing Day. “Properly distanced” of course. Petty Betty gets what she wants. No matter what happens or who is disturbed.
Even then, they’ll be no Christmas Walk because that’s public and if it gets out, then it’s not going to look good for the BRF.
And some of the other royals are probably going to be happy using the pandemic as an excuse not to come. Maybe they want to spend Christmas in their casual clothes, with family and their kids instead of a Christmas that’s very structured and has no kids.
Agree with all this. No Christmas walk, and honestly probably most of the family will be relieved to not have to haul everyone to Sandringham. Imagine how weird its going to feel though for someone like Beatrice and Eugenie – you can sleep in on Christmas! You don’t have to wear a fancy hat and fancy coat to walk to the church so the peons can catch a glimpse! pajamas all day!
And honestly, I don’t think the queen misses her family that much and I REALLY doubt that George et al miss their “great granny” who they have probably seen a dozen times in their life.
Since the Queen’s Christmas sounds stiff and formal with children not even allowed to participate in most events, I bet none of them will miss it at all. Supposedly, things such as seating at table still go by rank so not exactly a casual family event.
At least this year we will be spared the cries from the press that Harry and Meghan should come home for Christmas because it could be the Queen and her husband’s last one.
Will the world be spared of such tantrum??? I kinda doubt it… They’ll do it in a few days….
Oh boo hoo Lizzie!
FFS! She has had 93 xmases where she had her family and she still has a husband, the majority of women do not have that. She should just shut up.
Yes.
Aren’t we all? No sympathy from me.
yep
She can stroll around the palace and breathe in stale opulance and centuries of oppression. They’re what’s most important anyway.
In the U S it’s unlikely that low risk people will have the vaccine as early as Xmas. We can only hope that front line workers and senior home residents will get it by then. But at least WW 1984 will finally drop. That’s my big holiday plan.
I just watched WW again last night and it’s really got me anticipating WW 1984! Gal Godot is just stunning, and I think she was the perfect choice to play her. That will definitely be Christmas Day viewing for me!
No, but if the Queen’s golden boy Andrew shows up then it makes up for everything in her deluded mind.
East of England is in Tier 2, so I don’t think there will be a Big Hunt as you can only have outdoor activities with 6 people … unless they get it classified as an “organized outdoor sport”. I will actually be super annoyed if they have a big Boxing Day hunt this year since so many of us cannot spend time with our friends or family at all this Christmas.
Of course they’ll get whatever classification they want for it! Given that the government is currently making statements about The Crown who are we kidding that they won’t have their own way with this too??
I hope the gold piano makes an appearance even if they have to move it. It is so on brand for her.
Elizabeth has no one to blame but herself. if she wants them all there, I’m sure they will all show up. Can’t feel empathy for this. Her choice.
The press is going to be the most upset about the Christmas Walk Cancellation, because it means they are not going to make money. Not pictures, no story! The Rotten British Reporters are going broke! ha ha ha
Good. Maybe she’ll use the quiet to contemplate on the many ways she screwed her “family”. I have no sympathy.
Aren’t we all sad we can’t be with our families this Christmas, Liz, aren’t we all.
QEII : she’s just like us. 🙄.
The real question is: what’s going to happen to the staff? We know the royals can’t do anything for themselves, and that the queen insists on observing ancient, fussy traditions which likely require tons of employees operating silently in the background. Do these people not get to see their own families at all during the holiday season? Will they be required to quarantine and not see anyone they love for two weeks before and after Christmas? For more? Are they quarantined now? Will they be able to go home before mid-January? Are they at least getting compensated monetarily for this isolation? Are their living quarters as shabby as I think they are?
There you go thinking about the actual human factor involved.
The Crown has really opened my eyes to the most self pitying family imaginable. Could the queen possibly conceive of being grateful for 90+ Christmases spent in luxury, good health and filled with abundance. ICYMI, the whole world is suffering but boo hoo you have to stay in a palace. We find each of her children are selfish, self centered and constantly feeling sorry for themselves, well the apples did not fall far from the tree.
The whole rf is grotesque. I cannot commend Harry enough for leaving. I hope he sticks to his guns and stays planted in CA.