How will the royals celebrate Christmas amid the COVID-19 pandemic?

With the holidays just around the corner, royal fans are wondering if  Queen Elizabeth  and her family will attend their traditional Christmas Day service. Every year, members of the royal family walk from Sandringham House to St. Mary Magdalene Church, drawing crowds who are eager to catch a glimpse of the royals. On Tuesday, Express reported that Her Majesty “has ruled out attending church in the Christmas royal tradition in a bid to prevent the usual crowds gathering for the annual family turnout.” However, HOLA! USA’s sister brand HELLO! understands that “it is too early to confirm the royal family’s plans and a decision will be made closer to Christmas in line with the appropriate advice at the time.”

© Getty Images

Last year,  Prince George  and  Princess Charlotte  made their royal Christmas walk debut, joining their parents  Prince William  and  Kate Middletonas they walked to church and mingled with the crowds following the service. Queen Elizabeth, 94, invites members of her family, including her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, to spend the holiday at Sandringham House in Norfolk. This year, under the current COVID-19 restrictions, the royals would be limited to six people. The rule of six, per the UK government, means that any social gatherings of more than six people are against the law.

Queen Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip spent the UK lockdown self-isolating at Windsor Castle. After enjoying their summer holiday in Balmoral, the couple left Scotland for Sandringham. The monarch has since returned to Windsor. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson previously said, “Subject to the finalisation of the autumn programme, Her Majesty’s intention is to return to Windsor Castle in October and to resume the use of Buckingham Palace for selected audiences and engagements. These plans will be kept under review and will of course be subject to all relevant guidance and advice.”

© Getty Images

Back in April, the Queen delivered a powerful speech addressing the global pandemic. “While we have faced challenges before, this one is different. This time we join with all nations across the globe in a common endeavour, using the great advances of science and our instinctive compassion to heal. We will succeed - and that success will belong to every one of us,” Her Majesty said. “We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return: we will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again.”