Queen Elizabeth II to soon resume royal duties; but won't host major events in 2020

Queen Elizabeth II will soon resume her royal duties, as was previously announced, but will not be holding any large-scale event in 2020 due to the continued threat of the coronavirus pandemic.

In a statement published on the royal family's website on Thursday, Buckingham Palace announced that all the large events for the rest of this year have been cancelled, after much deliberation, as Queen Elizabeth II falls in a high-risk group for the COVID-19 illness at the age of 94.

"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 this year," the statement read.

The palace said that the decision to cancel all major events was taken only after "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 palace stated.

Around 30 investitures are held by The Firm every year, with over 60 recipients attending each ceremony, either in the Ballroom at Buckingham Palace, or in the Waterloo Chamber at Windsor Castle. However, no investitures have been held since the lockdown was announced in late March, expect the socially-distanced open-air ceremony hosted by the queen in July to knight veteran NHS fundraiser Captain Sir Tom Moore.

The British monarch along with her husband Prince Philip moved into isolation at the Windsor Castle in Berkshire after the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in the United Kingdom in March. The royal couple stepped out of the castle in August to head to their Balmoral estate in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, for the annual summer holiday with the rest of the British royal family.

The duo cut short their summer holiday last month and moved to Wood Farm at Sandringham estate where the Duke of Edinburgh has taken permanent residence after retiring from public duties in 2017. While the 99-year-old will continue to live at the country house, the queen will soon return to Windsor Castle to resume work, from where she can travel to Buckingham Palace in London for royal engagements.

As per the statement, the queen intends to return to Windsor Castle this month, and resume the use of Buckingham Palace, her official residence, "during an Autumn programme of Audiences and engagements, in line with all relevant guidance and advice."