Queen Elizabeth has canceled a number of diary events scheduled over the coming weeks “as a sensible precaution” in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
The British monarch, 93, will move to Windsor Castle for the Easter period on Thursday – one week earlier than planned, Buckingham Palace said in a statement Tuesday. She is expected to stay at Windsor Castle beyond the Easter period.
Updates to her diary have been made “for practical reasons in the current circumstances,” the statement said.
Planned audiences scheduled to take place at Buckingham Palace this week will go ahead, including a meeting with UK Prime Minister.
“Future audiences will be reviewed on an ongoing basis, in line with the appropriate advice,” the statement added.
Public events which were expected to draw large crowds and were due to be visited by the Queen and other members of the royal family in the coming months have been canceled or postponed.
The annual Maundy Service at St George’s Chapel, at Windsor Castle, on April 9 will not go ahead.
Three garden parties due to be held at Buckingham Palace in May will also not take place, the statement said.
Planned investitures – events at which members of the public receive honors from a member of the royal family – will also be rearranged.
Britain is now into the “delay” phase of its coronavirus response and scores of public events have been canceled around the country.
Last Friday Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, announced they were canceling their spring tour due to the pandemic.
The pair were set to visit Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus and Jordan but have postponed those trips.
Elderly people are particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus, which has so far claimed the lives of more than 5,000 people around the world.
Boris Johnson on Monday announced a raft of new guidance, advising everyone to stop non-essential contact with others – especially those over the age of 70.
