Queen Elizabeth II was spotted leaving Windsor Castle on Monday, as she returns to Buckingham Palace just ahead of the celebrations for Prince Andrew's 60th birthday. Meanwhile, the monarch's royal residence is currently undergoing massive renovation as revealed in her latest Instagram post.

According to Daily Mail, the 93-year-old monarch was spotted driving out from Windsor Castle in a chauffeur driven car as she headed towards Buckingham Palace as soon as the weekend was over. She was reportedly dressed in a khaki-coloured coat, paired with a blue and white scarf. She wore a pair of sunglasses as she sat completely relaxed in the backseat.

It is said that she was carrying two bags of luggage that included a red handbag and a small black wash bag with what is described as "playful dog print." Her departure from Windsor castle came two days before Prince Andrew's birthday on Wednesday. It is believed that the prince will be celebrating his special day with the rest of his family at Buckingham Palace.

Meanwhile, it is said that the queen had dismissed the plans for a big celebration of Andrew's birthday in the wake of his association with Jeffrey Epstein. However, the family will be organising a "small family dinner" to mark the day.

In other news, massive renovation work is currently taking place in Buckingham Palace. The news was made public when the Royal Family's official Instagram account posted a video about the restoration work and re-servicing programme.

The post explains why re-servicing programmes are important and how they will make the royal abode more energy efficient. The video clip showcases the changes being made at the palace including historic wallpaper conservation, yellow drawing-room, installation of a new lift to improve accessibility, replacing outdated pipes and wires. The video gives a good and rare look inside the palace to the royal followers.

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🟡 Watch as historic nineteenth-century wallpaper from the Yellow Drawing Room is carefully taken away for conservation. Not only will this work restore the rare, fragile wallpaper, but it will simultaneously protect it from incurring damage from nearby construction work as part of the Reservicing programme. Once the works are complete, the restored wallpaper will return to its home in the Yellow Drawing Room. The Reservicing programme is vital in order to mitigate the risk of fire and flood and will ensure that old wiring is brought in line with current health and safety standards. The refurbishment will also improve visitor access and make the Palace more energy efficient. Designed by Edward Blore in the 1840s, the East Wing of Buckingham Palace was built for Queen Victoria to provide more entertaining and living space for her expanding family. Blore’s design included the famous central balcony on the front façade of the Palace, which was incorporated at Prince Albert’s suggestion. Since then it has been used on many national occasions, including annually at Trooping the Colour.

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According to Better Homes and Gardens, this happens to be the palace's biggest renovation programme since before World War II. The restoration work will involve 161 km of electrical cabling, 6500 plug sockets, 5000 light fittings, 32 km of heating pipework, and 2500 radiators.

Liam Payne
Liam Payne met the Queen and Prince alongside Mo Farah at Buckingham Palace Jonathan Brady - WPA Pool/Getty Images

"The Reservicing programme is vital in order to mitigate the risk of fire and flood and will ensure that old wiring is brought in line with current health and safety standards. The refurbishment will also improve visitor access and make the Palace more energy efficient," the palace said in its post.

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