Queen Elizabeth II to put public royal duties on hold indefinitely

Queen Elizabeth II will be away from public royal engagements for at least months and will continue staying in isolation at her Windsor Castle home in wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Multiple reports have confirmed that Queen Elizabeth II will continue to be in self-isolation even after the United Kingdom removes the nation-wide lockdown, as she falls in the high-risk category to the virus at the age of 94.

A report in The Sunday Times stated that the British monarch "will remain at Windsor Castle indefinitely," while a Buckingham Palace spokesperson told Harper's Bazaar: "The queen continues to be busy and will follow appropriate advice on engagements."

"The queen is to withdraw from public life for months in what is expected to be the longest absence from official duties in her 68-year reign," The Sunday Times wrote, adding that she will continue to self-isolate with husband Prince Philip at the Windsor Castle.

Meanwhile, Buckingham Palace, the official residence of the monarch, will remain closed for the general public this summer, in what is believed to be the first time in 27 years. The palace won't be hosting annual events as well including Trooping the Colour and the queen's garden parties due to safety concerns. The queen's autumn engagements including a state visit from South Africa in October are also on hold.

The last public appearance made by the mother-of-four was at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in March, after which she retreated to Windsor Castle where she usually spends her holidays. Just weeks later, her eldest son Prince Charles, heir apparent to the British throne, was tested positive for coronavirus.

Prince Charles was diagnosed with the respiratory illness after he had reached his Scottish home at Balmoral estate along with wife Duchess Camilla to isolate amid the pandemic. The 71-year-old remained in quarantine at his Birkhall home as he recovered from the disease while the Duchess of Cornwall isolated herself in a separate portion of the home. Neither the queen nor the duchess was tested positive for the virus.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was also tested positive for the virus and even spent days in a critical condition in ICU before recovering and going back to his duties. Johnson recently welcomed his first child with fiancee Carrie Symonds and named him Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson, Nicholas after the two doctors Nick Price and Nick Hart who treated him while he was in the hospital with COVID-19.