Britain's Queen Elizabeth II has cancelled her traditional pre-Christmas family party next week amid concerns about the Omicron variant.
A Buckingham Palace source confirmed to the Press Association the decision to call off the royal gathering, which has now been cancelled for two years in a row.
It is understood the decision was a precaution with the source suggesting it could put too many people’s Christmas arrangements at risk if it went ahead.
The Queen is still carrying out only light duties, including virtual and the occasional in-person audiences, after being ordered to rest by royal doctors and spending a night in hospital for tests on October 20. On Wednesday, the Queen hosted the Sultan of Oman at Windsor.
Plans were reportedly fully in place at Windsor Castle for next Tuesday’s Christmas lunch, which the 95-year-old monarch hosts each year for her extended family.
Most years, the queen invites her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren to join her at Buckingham Palace before she departs for her annual Christmas stay at Sandringham.
The palace is undergoing major renovation works at present.
The pre-Christmas celebration gives the head of state a chance to catch up with relatives who are unable to travel to Norfolk for Christmas Day.
It comes as Britain reported 88,000 infections on Thursday, its highest number of new cases since the pandemic began.
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People cross a quiet Westminster Bridge in London. The UK recorded the highest number of confirmed new Covid-19 infections on Wednesday since the pandemic began. AP Photo -
A traveller on a London Underground train. England's chief medical officer said the situation is likely to get worse as the Omicron variant drives a new wave of illness during the Christmas holidays. AP Photo -
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson at a news conference in Downing Street to update the nation on the Covid-19 booster vaccine programme. Reuters -
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Chester resident Melanie Hughes receives her booster vaccine from soldiers of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers at the walk-in vaccine clinic at Chester Cathedral. Getty Images -
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A woman passes a closed food outlet in Covent Garden, London, after a rapid rise in Covid-19 case numbers led to a surge in booking cancellations across the hospitality industry. PA -
People queue to receive vaccine and booster doses at Chester Cathedral. Reuters -
Fans wait to get their coronavirus passes checked outside the American Express Community Stadium in Brighton, before a Premier League football match. Reuters
The wider family is also usually invited, including the Queen’s cousins the Gloucesters, the Duke of Kent and the Michaels of Kent.
This Christmas is the Queen’s first since the death of her husband of 73 years, the Duke of Edinburgh.
The Queen and Philip spent Christmas Day together at Windsor in 2020, without the rest of the family, after spending most of the year being cared for by a reduced number of staff in what was dubbed HMS Bubble.
She has only been carrying out light duties since October 20 when concerns for her health were heightened after royal doctors ordered her to rest and she spent a night in hospital undergoing tests.
