Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, have returned to Windsor Castle for Britain’s second national lockdown, Buckingham Palace said on Monday.
The royal couple travelled to Berkshire from the Sandringham estate three days before the month-long restrictions come into force.
Philip’s decision to accompany the monarch to Windsor and return to HMS Bubble – the nickname for their smaller household of staff amid the coronavirus pandemic – came after the British government announced the new lockdown on Saturday.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said the duke’s move to Windsor had been planned for a while.
The 94-year-old monarch had spent the weekend visiting the 99-year-old duke in Norfolk.
READ ALSO: More Than 500,000 Women Die of Cervical Cancer Annually – Expert
The Queen and Philip are just over a fortnight away from marking their 73rd wedding anniversary on Nov 20.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said the duke’s move to Windsor had been planned for a while.
Royal author Penny Junor said: “I just think it’s very nice if they are together in the same residence and the same part of the world.
“It’s a company for one another. They’re a marvellous old couple.”
Joe Little, a Managing editor of Majesty magazine, said the move meant the royal tradition of a Christmas at Sandringham this year was in doubt.
“Clearly it indicates there isn’t going to be any sort of Christmas at Sandringham,” the royal commentator said.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment on any future plans for the festive season.
Philip has been staying at his Wood Farm cottage on the Sandringham Estate for the past few weeks.
He has spent much of his retirement so far in the sanctuary after stepping down from public duties in 2017 after decades of service.
Prior to the pandemic, the Queen was usually more than 100 miles away at Buckingham Palace or at Windsor carrying out her duties as head of state.
But Philip reunited with the monarch at Windsor ahead of the nation going into lockdown in March.
They stayed at the castle in HMS Bubble for their safety for nearly 20 weeks, before heading to Balmoral in Aberdeenshire for their summer break, and then spending a few weeks together at Sandringham.