Queen Elizabeth To Permanently Vacate Buckingham Palace After COVID-19 Scare

Queen Elizabeth II, who called Buckingham Palace home for most of her record-breaking 70-year reign, has decided to permanently vacate the London residence to reside in her weekend home, Windsor Castle, where she stayed with her late husband Prince Philip weeks before his death in April.

“Windsor is the place she loves,” royal author and deputy lord lieutenant of Berkshire Hugo Vickers, said. “She has her memories with Prince Philip there, she has her ponies there and family nearby. It makes sense.”

The 95-year-old monarch had moved to Windsor with Philip in March 2020 in a supposed temporary stretch during the lockdown. The New York Post noted that the Queen is closer to key family members at the Berkshire residence, including her scandal-scarred son, Prince Andrew, who lives with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson on the estate.

Meanwhile, the now-empty palace would likely see the Queen’s eldest son and heir, Prince Charles, 73, take residence when he becomes king. While the Prince of Wales is known to prefer his London home, Clarence House, he conceded that the palace should remain “monarchy HQ” once he ascends to the throne.

Charles also intends to allow greater public access when he becomes king.

The Queen, donning a patterned dress, greeted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Windsor Castle on Monday, marking her first in-person engagement since testing positive for COVID-19, Town and Country Magazine reported.

Although visibly frailer, the monarch appeared smiling and laughing after the pair shook hands. She is also without the walking stick she has been using.

Last week, Charles said during a royal visit that the Queen was now feeling “a lot better.”

Vacating Buckingham Palace was partially prompted by the need to conserve staff resources, according to Vanity Fair. Accordingly, the palace is in the middle of a 10-year, £369 million (US$483.67 million) renovation, which does not end until 2027.

The development also came at the back of a series of health scares for Elizabeth II. In October, Her Majesty spent a night in hospital for an unspecified ailment, forcing her to scale back her official duties and rest on doctors’ orders.