The Queen Faces A Lonely Christmas As Prince Philip Remains In Hospital

The royal Christmas celebrations at Sandringham seem to be looking grim. First with Prince Harry and Meghan making it official that they’d be spending quality time in Canada, and now, with Prince Philip’s receding health. While Philip has been making good progress, the current state of affairs has affected The Queen.

The Queen, who usually tours the Sandringham estate in Norfolk on the first day of her festive break, gave the royal routine a miss. And, this is not all. There also seemed to be a slight detour from the customary pheasant shoot, despite it being the peak of the shooting season.

Prince Philip, who hasn’t been in the pink of health in the recent past, used to watch the shooting while being seated in a Land Rover. The royal household didn’t wake up to the best news on Friday morning, as a helicopter was flown to get the Duke admitted at a hospital in London owing to an emergency.

The reason, though undivulged, was deemed ‘observation and treatment’ of an unspecified pre-existing condition. As per a report, “Sikorsky S-76 left the base at 11.05 am and landed in South London after 45 minutes. Philip was then driven to the private King Edward VII hospital in Marylebone, West London.”

While it is certain that the Duke will not partake in any festivities this season, he has made it clear that he would love for the Royal family to get on with the celebrations. Considering how he doesn’t want any fuss, Prince Philip also hopes that nobody sees him when he’s in hospital. That said, another report in a media outlet revealed that none of the senior members of the royal family had plans to pay Philip a visit, and “will not be changing long-held plans”.

On the other hand, Prince Charles too seems unavailable to his mother at least until tomorrow night. The Prince of Wales will be spending time with the victims and volunteers in Yorkshire, who’ve been affected by the floods in November. Prince Andrew, who is currently embroiled in a murky sex controversy that involved deceased billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, is expected to join in the royal celebrations. But, it remains unclear as to whether he would be allowed to take part in the traditional walk to the church on Christmas.