The Queen cancels traditional pre-Christmas family lunch as a precaution
16 December 2021, 11:33 | Updated: 16 December 2021, 11:49
The Queen has “with regret” has cancelled her pre-Christmas family lunch as a “precautionary” measure due to concerns over the spread of the Omicron Covid variant.
It is understood the decision was taken as a precaution, with a source suggesting it could put too many people's Christmas arrangements at risk if it went ahead.
A Buckingham Palace source confirmed the decision to call off the royal gathering, which comes as Covid cases spike with the surge in the Omicron variant.
Last year's gathering was also scrapped because of the Covid-19 crisis.
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.
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.
It emerged earlier that France is banning British tourists from travelling to the country - because of the rise in Omicron Covid cases in the UK. The new rule will come into effect from Saturday and could last for the whole Christmas period.
