Queen and Prince Philip are parted after quarantining together for seven months: Her Majesty returns to ‘HMS Bubble’ at Windsor Castle while the Duke of Edinburgh remains at Sandringham
- The Queen has returned to Windsor Castle following a stay at Sandringham
- Duke of Edinburgh remains in Norfolk, where they spent the last three weeks
- Couple cut short their Balmoral summer holiday to spend time at Sandringham
- Queen has cancelled all major events at Windsor and Buckingham Palace
The Queen has returned to Windsor Castle after spending time with the Duke of Edinburgh at Sandringham, Buckingham Palace has confirmed.
The monarch, 94, arrived at the residence on Tuesday while Prince Philip, 99, remained in Norfolk, where he has spent the majority of his time since retiring.
The couple have spent seven months together after being placed into joint quarantine at Windsor Castle in March. They spent six weeks at Balmoral, in Aberdeenshire, over summer before cutting short their annual break to spend the last three weeks together in Norfolk.
It is the most amount of time the couple has spent together in recent years.
However now the Queen, 94, has returned to Windsor, dubbed ‘HMS Bubble’, where she intends to resume audiences and small engagements.
The Queen has returned to Windsor Castle after spending time with the Duke of Edinburgh at Sandringham, Buckingham Palace has confirmed. Pictured, the couple at Windsor in June
The monarch, 94, arrived at the residence on Tuesday while Prince Philip, 99, remained in Norfolk, where he has spent the majority of his time since retiring. Pictured, Windsor today
Prince Philip, 99, has spent much of his retirement so far at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate.
But he joined the Queen at Windsor for lockdown from March onwards before they headed to Balmoral in Aberdeenshire for their summer break and then moved Sandringham for a few weeks.
The Queen has been forced to cancel all major events at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle for the rest of the year amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Receptions and events like investitures will be cancelled, palace officials confirmed today, despite attempts to find a compromise.
Buckingham Palace said on its website: ‘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 variety of possibilities were examined to see if it was possible for investitures to safely take place in line with the guidelines.
‘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.
‘The Queen’s intention remains to return to Windsor Castle in October and to resume the use of Buckingham Palace during an autumn programme of audiences and engagements, in line with all relevant guidance and advice.’