Queen cancels pre-Christmas family dinner due to omicron increase

Due to the increasing number of Omicron Covid cases, the Queen has cancelled a pre-Christmas family dinner.

The 95-year-old monarch had planned to welcome around 50 relatives, including Prince Charles and Camilla, to an event at Windsor Castle next week.

It is understood the decision to cancel the lunch was a precautionary measure, with one source suggesting that holding the lunch could jeopardise the Christmas arrangements of too many people.

Royal sources said they were confident it was the right thing for everyone involved.

Earlier on Wednesday, Professor Chris Whitty urged the public to prioritise events that are “really important” to them during the holidays in order to contain the spread of Omicron.

Last year, lunch also had to be cancelled due to the Covid-19 crisis.

Most years, the Queen invites her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren to visit Buckingham Palace before she leaves for her annual Christmas stay at Sandringham.

However, the lunch was to take place in Windsor as the palace is currently undergoing extensive renovations.

The pre-Christmas celebration gives the Head of State the opportunity to meet with relatives who are unable to travel to Norfolk on Christmas Day.

The extended family is usually also invited, including the Queen's cousins, the Gloucesters, the Duke of Kent and the Michaels of Kent.

This Christmas is the Queen's first since the death of her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, to whom she was married for 73 years.

The Queen and Philip spent Christmas Day 2020 together in Windsor, without the rest of the family, after spending most of the year in the so-called HMS Bubble and being cared for by a reduced number of staff.

Since 20 October, when concerns about her health increased after royal doctors ordered her to rest and she spent a night in hospital for examinations, she was only able to carry out light duties.

On Wednesday, the UK recorded 78,610 new Covid cases, the highest number since the start of the pandemic.

The increase is due to the new Omicron variant, which is considered more contagious and resistant to vaccines.

There are currently 15 people with Omicron in hospital.

Early studies have shown that Omicron causes less severe illness with cold-like symptoms.