The Queen and Prince Philip delay Christmas trip to Sandringham ‘due to heavy colds’
Buckingham Palace has confirmed that the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh are ill
THE Queen and Prince Philip cancelled their Christmas trip to Sandringham yesterday — but it was hours before wellwishers were told they had heavy colds.
Her Majesty’s no-show at London King’s Cross station was so unexpected royal cops were stood down just moments before the 10.44am was due to depart.
Security at King’s Lynn in Norfolk, where an area remained cordoned off, remained on stand-by until they were told that the Queen would not be on the 12.21pm arrival as planned.
Hours of speculation and concern then followed — with the shock cancellation coming a day after the Queen, 90, hosted a large royal gathering at Buckingham Palace.
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It was also announced on Monday she was stepping down as patron of 25 organisations to ease her workload.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman finally said at 1.35pm: “The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh have heavy colds, and so have decided not to travel to Sandringham today.”
A royal source revealed that the Duke, 95 — who was due to go by car — has been struck down harder and is being monitored. They said: “The Duke is worse than Her Majesty.
“There’s a bit of concern about him and a close eye is being kept.
“At his age, one has to be very cautious that it doesn’t develop into something much worse.”
The pair are thought to be staying at Buckingham Palace until they recover — but aides insist the Queen is determined to go to Sandringham.
The couple were last seen in public together alongside Charles, Camilla, William and Kate at a Buckingham Palace reception on December 8.
The Queen was photographed hosting a private reception for Commonwealth ambassadors the next day.
Yesterday’s hitch came as new anti-terror arrangements were put in place around Buckingham Palace for the Changing of the Guard.
They were announced by the Met after the Berlin Christmas market lorry attack.
Our diagnosis?
By CAROL COOPER, Sun Doctor
THE very young and the elderly are most likely to develop serious complications from a cold. This is because the immune system is weaker at the extremes of life. This allows another infection, often bacterial, to set in on top of the cold. In many older people, restricted mobility also slows down recovery. We can be sure that Her Majesty is well fed, well looked after, keeping warm and drinking plenty of fluids. There’s not much you can do apart from treat the symptoms and wait for nature to do the rest. Viruses cause colds, not bacteria. So antibiotics do not work unless there are complications. Let’s hope the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh can soon enjoy a right royal Christmas without the sneezes. Meanwhile, bless you, Your Majesty.
A festive tradition she loves
THE Queen has spent Christmas at Sandringham every year since 1988 — but the tradition goes much further back. She started in 1952, the year she became Queen, following in the footsteps of her father George VI and grandfather George V. But she moved to Windsor Castle in 1964 as her family had grown too big. She still spent every New Year at Sandringham but then moved back for Christmas in 1988 when the castle was rewired. She stays until after the anniversary of her father’s death — February 6 1952.
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