The Queen to spend Christmas with Charles and Camilla after Princess Anne's cancellation

Prince Charles will join his mother for Christmas following the news that Princess Anne's husband has Covid-19

The Queen to spend Christmas with Charles and Camilla after Princess Anne's cancellation
(Image credit: Getty)

The Queen will spend Christmas Day with Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla, a Clarence House spokesperson has confirmed. 


Royal fans, breathe a sigh of relief—the Queen won't be spending Christmas Day on her lonesome. 

Clarence House has confirmed that Her Majesty will be joined by Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles on Saturday, for her first festive holiday without Prince Philip. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of the Cornwall will drive to Windsor Castle from their London residence to keep the 95-year-old monarch company, after spending last Christmas together at their country retreat of Highgrove House in Gloucestershire. 

The exciting update comes shortly after the news that Princess Anne is to miss the Queen's Christmas because her husband Sir Timothy Lawrence has tested positive for Covid-19. The Princess Royal has not contracted the virus herself but has decided to self-isolate at the couple's home in Gatcombe Park as a precautionary measure. 

On Tuesday, Buckingham Palace announced that the Queen had canceled her plans to host the Royal Family for Christmas at Sandringham House due to concerns over the rise in the Omicron variant. 

Camilla

(Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo / Contributor / Getty Images)

The royals traditionally come together at the Norfolk estate for 48 hours of festive fun and delicious food but have been unable to do so now for two years in a row. In pre-pandemic times, the Queen would host dozens of guests for Christmas. This year, however, she is expected to only be joined by a "small hard core" group of 15 people. She'll also have to abstain from some of her favorite holiday pastimes, including the Queen's Christmas gift tradition

"They just won’t want people mixing very much," royal commentator Phil Dampier told the Sun. “And then in the evening they used to play games of charades and things—but again I think that will be out of the window.” 

It has yet to be confirmed who else will attend the festivities at the Berkshire property this weekend, but it's been speculated that Prince William and Kate Middleton will pay a visit with their three children. Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, and Sophie Wessex are also expected to join the celebrations. 

Emma Dooney
Lifestyle News Writer

Hailing from the lovely city of Dublin, Emma mainly covers the Royal Family and the entertainment world, as well as the occasional health and wellness feature. Always up for a good conversation, she has a passion for interviewing everyone from A-list celebrities to the local GP - or just about anyone who will chat to her, really.


Emma holds an MA in International Journalism from City, University of London, and a BA in English Literature from Trinity College Dublin.