Even the royal family is stricken by fear of the coronavirus infection. Queen Elizabeth II. has withdrawn from the throne and hopes that scientists will succeed in developing a vaccine for Covid-19 in the shortest possible time so that she can return to her royal duties.
Her Majesty (94) is currently residing at Windsor Castle with her husband, Prince Philip (99 next month), hiding from a possible virus infection. It could be fatal for both of them due to their advanced age.
Buckingham Palace will be closed in the summer for the first time in 27 years. Royal biographer Andrew Morton announced that Elizabeth will keep in touch with the public only through video. All her duties have been canceled until the autumn.
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"It’s terribly sad but I can’t see how the Queen can resume her usual job. The COVID-19 virus isn’t going away soon and will be with us for months, if not years,"
Morton told the media.
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Panovnice promluvila k národu, aby pozvedla náladu. Source: The Royal Family
Strict measures against the family
The measures against the family are enormous, the queen doesn't want to leave anything to chance. The government is trying to save the country from the effects of the coronavirus and will start loosening the restrictions in the coming days, which could lead to further waves of infection. Currently, Covid-19 has already killed 15,000 Britons.
Her Majesty thus suspended all public engagements. But it could take years for an adequate vaccine to be developed, so the public has begun to speculate whether the ninety-four-year-old queen will ever return to the scepter.
"It would be far too risky for the Queen to start meeting people regularly,"
Morton added.
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Královna si telefonuje s premiérem Borisem Johnsnem. Source: The Royal Family
The queen is not idle
Although the queen's diary has been cleared for many months in advance, the queen does is not idle in her castle and makes daily calls to high statesmen to discuss the running of the country. She also continues to do administrative work.
The Queen doesn't even see any family members, all contact is by phone only. She has been in isolation since March 19. Of course, they couple are not completely alone at the castle, but with a selected minimum number of staff who make sure they have the level of royal comfort to which they are accustomed. Shee usually returns to her central London residence in May, but that will not happen either, and the various annual celebrations and garden parties at Buckingham Palace won't take place either.
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Naposledy se na veřejnosti ukázala na začátku března. Source: The Royal Family
Her last public appearance was the celebration of the Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey in March. That is also where Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle officially appeared for the last time as members of the family before officially relinquishing their royal duties.
