Among people who know her personally, Queen Elizabeth is often described as a hard worker. So when she headed up to Windsor Castle a week earlier than planned due to concerns about the novel coronavirus, there was no question she would keep at it. On Thursday, the queen was photographed in the backseat of her car on her way out of Windsor Castle in a sweater and navy vest. Her two beloved dorgis were sitting in her lap. Later on, the palace announced that Prince Philip had joined her at the castle. He flew from the Sandringham Estate in a helicopter, and the trip was previously planned. She will continue to have her regular daily government documents sent to her, even as her aides begin to telecommute.
In a statement, she mentioned the stress and uncertainty that the coronavirus has caused. “We are all being advised to change our normal routines and regular patterns of life for the greater good of the communities we live in and, in particular, to protect the most vulnerable within them,” she writes. “At times such as these, I am reminded that our nation’s history has been forged by people and communities coming together to work as one, concentrating our combined efforts with a focus on the common goal.”
Last weekend, reports conflicted about whether or not the Queen would relocate from bustling Buckingham Palace to her more isolated weekend residence in Windsor for the duration of the coronavirus crisis. By Tuesday, the palace announced the cancelation of many of her scheduled events for the spring, including the annual garden parties, and confirmed that she would travel to Windsor and remain until after Easter. On Thursday, she officially canceled a planned state visit from the Japan’s Emperor Naruhito. She kept her planned private meetings this week, though her weekly conversation with Prime Minister Boris Johnson happened on the phone instead of in person at the request of the government.
After Philip retired from public duties in 2017, the 98-year-old has lived full-time at the secluded Wood Farm Cottage in Sandringham. He often joins the Queen for the holidays, though he was hospitalized briefly in the days before Christmas last year. On Wednesday afternoon, rumors of Philip’s death began to spread on Twitter, but wthe hoax was quickly debunked.
As nonagenarians, Philip and the queen are in COVID-19’s high-risk demographic, and the British government is set to ask all citizens over 70 to self-isolate. Exactly how seriously the queen plans to take social distancing is yet to be seen. Last Sunday she attended church services in Windsor, and the statement announcing her event cancelations said she would continue to take private meetings.
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