A Clarence House spokesperson confirmed to People that the widowed 95-year-old monarch will share Christmas pudding with her eldest son, Prince Charles, and his wife, Camilla Parker Bowles, at Windsor Castle on Saturday.
This holiday season is especially poignant for the Queen because it is her first since her husband of 73 years, Prince Philip, died on April 9 at the age of 99.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Offset Receives A $2 Million Birthday Gift From His Wife Cardi B
Princess Anne, the couple’s daughter, will also miss this year’s festivities because her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week.
In accordance with UK government protocol, Anne, 71, and Laurence, 66, are isolating themselves at their Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucestershire for at least seven days.
It’s unclear what the Queen’s other sons, the embattled Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, have in store for the holidays.
The Queen will not be spending Christmas at Sandringham House for the second year in a row.
She usually stays at the Norfolk estate from late December to early February, but due to the ongoing pandemic, she has decided to stay in Windsor.
The decision was made after “careful consideration” and as a “precautionary approach,” as the Omicron variant of COVID continues to spread in the UK.
Typically, the royal family gathers at Sandringham early on Christmas Eve, opens presents that evening, and attends a Christmas Day service at St. Mary’s Magdalene Church.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Kim Goes On group Dates With Pete To Keep Kanye From Spiraling
The Queen’s Christmas message to the United Kingdom and Commonwealth nations, which is scheduled to air on Saturday at 3 p.m. local time, is one tradition that will be continued this year.
Every year since 1957, she has recorded a speech, with the exception of 1969, when the infamous “Royal Family” documentary aired on the BBC and ITV.
