The one tradition the Queen is ‘totally committed’ to continuing despite recent health fears

The Queen is reportedly “totally committed” to keeping one major royal tradition alive this year after recently being advised to “rest” amid health speculation.

• Her Majesty celebrates Christmas with her extended family at Sandringham and it’s said she’s “committed” to hosting as usual after cancelling several royal engagements. 
• This Christmas will be the Queen’s first since Prince Philip died and she’s expected to be surrounded by her loved ones in December. 
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The Queen is said to be determined to go ahead with hosting Christmas at Sandringham this year, despite recently being given a medical warning (opens in new tab) and cancelling several work commitments. Last year in the UK’s lockdown (opens in new tab), Her Majesty and Prince Philip spent the festive season at Windsor Castle. This marked the first time in 32 years they hadn’t celebrated at the monarch’s Norfolk estate, where their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren (opens in new tab) typically gather annually. 

This year will be the Queen’s first Christmas since her husband of 73 years (opens in new tab) passed away in April. And as the royals look ahead to marking this poignant occasion, it seems that Her Majesty is “totally committed” to bringing her family together after so long apart.. 

According to The Mirror (opens in new tab), a Palace insider claimed, “This year, more than ever, it is incredibly important to Her Majesty to be surrounded by her loved ones. The Queen is totally committed to hosting everyone as she hopes to make it back to full health in the coming weeks.”

They added, “Her Majesty is resting under doctors’ orders with the intention of being able to fully enjoy the company of her extended family over the holiday period. After being forced to cancel a host of engagements, the family get-together will be the perfect tonic.”

This news comes after it was recently announced that the Queen spent a night in hospital, (opens in new tab) though the official Buckingham Palace statement described Her Majesty as being in “good spirits”.

Now the Queen has cancelled further appearances (opens in new tab) after receiving advice to rest for a further two weeks. A statement from Buckingham Palace declared: “Following on from their recent advice that the Queen should rest for a few days, Her Majesty’s doctors have advised that she should continue to rest for at least the next two weeks.

“The doctors have advised that Her Majesty can continue to undertake light, desk-based duties during this time, including some virtual audiences, but not to undertake any official visits. Her Majesty regrets that this means she will be unable to attend the Festival of Remembrance on Saturday November 13."

It continued, “However, it remains The Queen’s firm intention to be present for the National Service of Remembrance on Remembrance Sunday, on November 14.”

The Queen’s period of rest comes ahead of the busy festive season and it would certainly be lovely to see her enjoying her traditional Christmas in Norfolk after what has been a challenging year.