Queen Elizabeth II's Christmas celebrations at Sandringham to be cancelled?

Queen Elizabeth II's royal Christmas celebrations at Sandringham might be scrapped this year due to the coronavirus restrictions.The new rule of six, which comes into place Monday, may mean the queen, like everyone else in the country, will have to choose who she spends the festive period with.

On Christmas Day, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles and other senior royals usually walk to church in full view of the public and enjoy a family lunch at Sandringham. However, this year the traditional Christmas celebrations at Sandringham appear not to be taking place.

The British royal family gathers at Sandringham estate for festivities. They open presents, sit down for a turkey dinner, catch-up with extended family, and even watch the queen's speech. For the 2019 Christmas, Prince Charles, Duchess Camilla, Princess Anne, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and other members of the family walked to St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, braving the cold.

This year, however, it looks like the celebrations could be different if the restrictions remain in place. "Any sort of church attendance on Christmas Day is highly unlikely under the current guidelines. There is no desire to create crowds and over the years, the Royals' walk to church has become more and more popular. It is now something of an event, so this year will need to be looked at very carefully," a source told the Mail on Sunday.

"Perhaps it could be ticketed, as the church does stand on private land, but there could be no interaction. The Royals do not want to encourage crowds," the insider added.

"The plans for Christmas have not been discussed, but any activities would take into account the relevant advice and guidance at the time," Buckingham Palace said in a statement on Saturday.