Sad news for the Queen ahead of special annual event

The royal family will be banned from singing the national anthem at the upcoming Remembrance Day service at Westminster Abbey, amid covid-19 fears.

  • The royals will not be allowed to sing any hymns or the national anthem during the socially distanced service, with only members of the socially distanced choir able to sing
  • The special ceremony will be attended by 80 VIPs and broadcast on BBC1
  • It follows royal news that Prince Charles could be King as soon as next year

Remembrance Day is always a special day for the Queen as she pays tribute to those who lost their lives in the war.

But, just like many things in 2020, this year’s service will look a lot different. And singing the national anthem will be banned due to covid-19 guidelines.

A special service is being held at Westminster Abbey to commemorate 100 years since the unveiling of the Cenotaph on Whitehall. And 80 guests, including senior royals and politicians are expected to attend the socially-distanced gathering.

But, since the Government imposed a ban on “communal singing” - due to the increased risk of transmitting the deadly virus through droplets - the royals will not be partaking in any hymns.

The singing will be left to the Choir of the Chapel Royal.

It’s not the first time the Queen has been forced to make major changes to her royal schedule of events this year.

Earlier this month it was revealed that the 94-year-old Monarch had made the difficult decision to cancel all major events atBuckingham PalaceandWindsor Castlefor the rest of the year due to the ongoing global pandemic.

The news was confirmed on Buckingham Palace’s website, with a statement that read, “In line with current Government guidelines, and as a sensible precaution in the current circumstances, there will be no large-scale events held at Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle for the rest of the year.

A photo posted by on

“A variety of possibilities were examined to see if it was possible for investitures to safely take place in line with the guidelines.”

With Buckingham Palace usually home to the Queen’s bigger events, officials confirmed the ever-changing pandemic is making it difficult to plan ahead.

“Sadly, due to the large numbers of guests and recipients attending, it was not possible to find a way of safely delivering these events in the current circumstances. Recipients will be contacted directly.”

 

Georgia Farquharson

Georgia writes across Woman & Home and Good to Know and specialises in all things royal. Previously labelled the "Queen of the royals," Georgia knows the whose who and what's what when it comes to the monarchy. When she's not eagerly following the royal family, Georgia enjoys shopping and self-care. She lives with this motto in mind; "if your dreams don't scare you, they aren't big enough."