UK Queen to Return to Buckingham Palace

LONDON:
The UK’s Queen Elizabeth II will return to the Buckingham Palace on Monday, after the monarch was taken to the Windsor Castle as a precaution against the coronavirus epidemic, it was reported.

A senior aide, categorically denying reports that the Queen had quit Buckingham Palace over coronavirus fears, told the Daily Mail on Sunday night: “I fully expect the royal standard will be flying at Buckingham Palace tomorrow as it does usually.”

The development comes after a newspaper report claimed on Saturday that the Queen had “quit” her official royal residence and been “whisked” to Windsor Castle.

Buckingham Palace has been taking what officials describe as a “sensible approach” to the COVID-19 threat. Two weeks ago, the Queen was seen wearing gloves as she conducted an official investiture at the Palace.

She has since decided as a matter of “personal preference” to stop shaking hands. The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall have cancelled their spring tour to Bosnia, Cyprus and Jordan this week on the advice of the Government.

They were hoping to schedule in some small-scale UK engagements. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the UK has jumped by 232 in just one day, while 14 more people have died, taking the total number of infections and fatalities to 1,372 and 35, respectively, as of Sunday.