When Queen Elizabeth’s staff announced that the Queen would be spending her Christmas holiday in Windsor, there was a lot of talk about who – in the family – would come to see her. At the top of the list was Princess Anne and her husband Sir Timothy Laurence. Well… that’s not going to happen. Covid has hit the royal family once again, and Anne’s husband contracted Covid – likely the Omicron variant – at some point recently. He tested positive this week.
Princess Anne’s husband Sir Timothy Laurence has contracted Covid-19 meaning Her Majesty is unlikely to spend Christmas Day with her daughter. MailOnline has confirmed that the 66-year-old retired Royal Navy Vice Admiral is recovering from the virus.
It is understood he is isolating at the Gatcombe Park Estate he shares with the Princess Royal.
It comes after the Queen announced that she had decided against spending her traditional Christmas at Sandringham as a ‘precautionary measure’ amid the rapid spread of the Omicom variant of the virus.
Obviously, Anne is isolating too because she’s a close contact, so my guess is that Anne and Timothy will probably just spend Christmas at Gatcombe Park. What’s interesting is that Buckingham Palace/the Queen’s courtiers have not confirmed who will go to Windsor for Christmas. The Cambridges have not said where they will be, and I think that means they’re still planning to go to Norfolk, to Anmer Hall. Prince Charles and Camilla haven’t confirmed where they’ll be either. I assume the lack of confirmations means that the Queen will spend the holiday with Prince Andrew.
Update: It was just announced this morning that Charles and Camilla will spend Christmas in Windsor with the Queen.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
What is that last picture about? Are the royals living in clutter with tchotchkes all around like that? Lol what’s going on?
I kinda remember this was their ‘we’re just like the plebs’ pic. Or something. There was a story.
The public will be paying to see this next year, Anne is opening her home to the paying public.
Does she need money that badly? Oh my. I hope she cleans for company. I wouldn’t let anyone come over to a room that looked like that. There’s probably enough dog dander in the air to choke a person.
@lanne She also has horse events on her farm with son Peter managing them. She probably needs the money to pay for upkeep on the farm and for Peter’s upkeep. Maybe she anticipates not working for King Charles?
She cancelled the previous Gatcombe event. They’ve been legally reconstituted under a new name, likely with Peter and Zara benefitting. It is tied to Zara’s paid gig with Magic Millions.
Could be a tax dodge. If they can prove they’ve been the estate managers for X amount of time prior to Anne’s death, what they pay in death taxes is greatly reduced.
Oh my I was just thinking what a clutter yuck
An aristo’s home, I read, isn’t “cluttered”, it’s “well-lived in”. And it wouldn’t BE an aristo’s home W/OUT the dog hair on EVERY surface and floor. I think that’s from a Tattler article lol
Yes!! Well Anne is certainly living up to those rules with regard to aristo’s look!
I would never be able to live with all of this clutter around me, aristo or not!!
Looks like it smells like old cigarette smoke 🤢
If it was my relative’s, I’d worry they were turning into Hoarders.
Not just cluttered, but damned ugly stuff!
I love how their tv stand is just a hollowed out old console tv 😂
I noticed that too! My eye was drawn to the old chair / sofa combo. There can’t be any cushion left in that seat – and if you look closely, she’s sitting on a cushion on top of the couch cushion! Very old money “thriftiness” to buy a seat pad and not just replace the furniture or at least have it re-upholstered/stuffed. I mean, it’s clearly a family room and not normally somewhere they’d receive visitors, so I’m giving them some degree of leniency when I judge them, but even then I’m still oddly annoyed by it.
I wonder if the Cambridges will go to her parents house; the benefit of Anmer at Christmas was they were close to Sandringham, but the rest of her family is in Berkshire, even Pippa, right? (if Pippa doesn’t stay in London.) so I wouldn’t be surprised if they go to Berkshire for christmas, like they did the year Charlotte was….2? was that 2017? and the year Kate was pregnant with George.
As for Charles and Camilla – I am sort of surprised, bc doesnt Camilla usually spend Christmas with her family anyway? I wonder if she’s not seeing them this year for pandemic reasons so figured might as well go see her MIL.
Whatever happens it’ll be Harry’s fault for not being with granny at this difficult time. Even if the Cambridges are away as they often are
Well, it’s about time. We haven’t had a “It’s all Harry’s fault” story in quite a while.
If what happens is that one of them, especially the Queen, gets covid by gathering different households it will be interesting to see them spin that as H’s fault.
Well, given the closeness that the Lambridges geographic position, they should be spending more time with TQ, but as usual they get a constant pass with regards to the press.
Though Keen won’t be able to attend at Windsor as she will be *exhausted* from all of her keen projects she has been doing this past month. 🙄
It’s the week after Xmas I think she spends with her family.
She is usually at the Xmas service.
Doesn’t Cam bolt out on Boxing Day to be with her family at their house (or at Ray Mill)? Charles *used* to stay for the shooting party; don’t know if he still would’ve, or even if they’ll still do that w/out Phil.
Wouldn’t surprise me if the Cambs are going to Norfolk, with the rest of their family already tucked up there; but more likely they could already be at CarolE’s, since James and his wife live near there, Pip has that property there (petting zoo?), and each of the little Camb poppets will have their own room with their own tree to decorate! Grammy CarolE doesn’t like her “main” tree spoiled by kids, remember?
Ah I think you and the other Jan are right. Camilla goes to the service but doesn’t stay for the boxing day shoot. I wonder if she even spends Christmas night lol.
I think Camilla will see her family.
iirc Camilla shows for church service and stroll, but spends the rest of the season with her children and grandchildren.
2017 at Sandringham
2018 she was sick and didn’t attend
2019 at Sandringham
2020 they stayed at Highgrove House (pandemic)
I keep forgetting he exists! Get well soon, Tim. Enjoy your aristo shabby (maybe not chic) house
So chic to be shabby in aristo world!
I feel sorry for him. Does Anne treat him well.
It sucks majorly to get covid during the holiday season. At least he royal adjacent so he doesn’t have to worry about organizing Christmas dinners and such.
Just went through a COVID scare with my neighbor, who I see across the hall from my apartment every day and for tea at my place on Saturdays. So, we save spent time together unmasked across a dining room table. In general, she is careful about all things COVID, which is why I felt comfortable about having her over to my place–but she is quite social. She was planning to go to Florida to see her sister for Xmas and tested positive. Her trip is cancelled and she’s in isolation now.
Long story short for me, I had to get tested and I missed two precious days with my sons-20 and 21 years old-who are home from college. But, the test did come back negative so I get to make up for some lost time with them. I would have been heartbroken if I had not seen them at all.
As for my neighbor, I left a bottle of wine at her doorstep to keep her company. I feel so bad for her and so relieved for me.
So, yes, it does suck to get COVID over the holidays! Best of luck Tim and Anne!
My other take away is that the Omicron variant is spreading everywhere just at the point where we are all starting to get tired of this whole masking routine. I know I am, but we must all remain vigilant.
I’m living with my parents for the moment, and my mother (vaxxed) received a call that she had been in contact with someone who tested positive. My mother had a test done last sunday and it was negative, but another member from that same family tested positive and now my mother is getting another test tomorrow. I’m getting one as well just for my peace of mind, because I swim a couple of times per week and I’m terrified of getting the variant as I don’t have the booster yet, I still don’t qualify for it. It sucks.
The Queen was better off just stating that she was having the family at Windsor instead of Sandringham this year. All this song and dance about Omicron and she’s still having family over for Christmas. All the best to Anne’s husband. It sucks having covid but at least he wouldn’t have to spend another awful Christmas with the Queen.
Yes, she should have just stuck with staying put with the issues regarding Omincron.
All the best to Timothy recovering quickly!!
I would have thought Edward and Sophie over Charles and Camilla (because they’re geographically much closer) but perhaps C&C want to spend time with their mother(-in-law) as it is the Queen’s first Christmas without Philip.
Maybe the Queen is in bad condition and PC is there as the head of the family?
Oh stop it, as this the ailing queens’ first Xmas without Phillip. And maybe her last, at least as the media plays it, you think the lamsbridges and kiddies would be there, full stop. As heirs of the slimmed down group, if Noone else shows they should, along with Charlie and cammie.
W&K may refuse to show up unless they are guaranteed Clan Middleton gets to attend services with QEII, be in any pap parade surrounding the arrivals, etc.
Lizzie is going to the private chapel on the property. Don’t think they’ll let paps in to snap pics. Though if the Cambs show, I wouldn’t put it past Kunning Kate to bring her own photographer again (á la Phil’s funeral).
I don’t think that the Queen ever really spent much time with Philip in the later years they lived separate lives after Penny practically moved in with him. Penny will miss Philip more at Xmas than the Queen.
On Omid’s Twitter the Cambridges, Wessexes, and Yorks are coming as well. It would be interesting to see if Fergie goes.
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That room was a horror show.. a weird combo of uncomfortable, overstuffed and shabby. One would almost think the royals have no taste
There is a huge difference between old money and nouveau riche. That last picture is a prime example. Nouveau riche people flash their money, sometimes live beyond their means trying to look richer than they are. Old money people are frugal with money and hang onto it for dear life. My dad always told me to question a nouveau riche and see how much actual liquid assets they have. If everything is leased and mortgaged, they aren’t truly rich. If everything is paid for already and owned outright, they are truly wealthy. This is how you know these people are old money from the photo.
Basically everything rich, important people do can be spun as being better than the poors. Living in a filthy, threadbare, cluttered house is somehow indicative of status but only when some people do it. Bizarre!
Smacd, you are absolutely right. About COVID, my husband and daughter, both triple vaccinated, got the Omicron variant. It is twice as transmissible as Delta and very easy to get a breakthrough. I tested negative, so I’m able to take care of them. My husband has two underlying health conditions, so I am very nervous about him.