The Queen, 94, plans to return to work at Buckingham Palace in October as she and Prince Philip cut their Scottish summer holiday short for a two-week break at Sandringham
- Queen, 94, and the Duke of Edinburgh, 99, will leave Balmoral for Sandringham
- Couple arrived at Scottish estate in August and have enjoyed visits from family
- They typically remain there until early October but will now depart next week
- Queen and Prince Philip have been in isolation since the start of lockdown
The Queen will return to work at Buckingham Palace in October as she and Prince Philip cut their Scottish summer holiday short for a two-week break at Sandringham.
The monarch, 94, and Duke of Edinburgh, 99, typically remain at Balmoral, in Aberdeenshire, until next month but will now depart earlier, Buckingham Palace said in a statement today.
Buckingham Palace confirmed the Queen hopes to resume ‘selected audiences and engagements’ in London for the first time since March.
The Palace confirmed the Queen and Duke will depart from Balmoral next week and travel to Sandringham together to ‘spend time privately’ in Norfolk.
The Queen will then return to Windsor, where she has spent the majority of lockdown, in October, travelling to Buckingham Palace for working daytime visits.
The Queen, 94, and Prince Philip (pictured together at Windsor), 99, arrived at Balmoral at the start of August and have enjoyed visits from family in the weeks since. They will now travel to Sandringham when they leave Balmoral next week, it has been announced
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh arrived at Balmoral (pictured), in Aberdeenshire, at the start of August and have enjoyed visits from family in the weeks since. Stock image
In a statement, the Palace added: ‘The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh will depart Balmoral Castle during the week commencing September 14 to spend time privately on the Sandringham Estate.
‘Subject to the finalisation of the autumn programme, Her Majesty’s intention is to return to Windsor Castle in October and to resume the use of Buckingham Palace for selected audiences and engagements.
‘These plans will be kept under review and will of course be subject to all relevant guidance and advice.’
The Duke of Edinburgh, who spends much of his time at Wood Farm on the Sandringham Estate, has not yet confirmed his plans.
MailOnline has contacted Buckingham Palace for more details.
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh arrived at Balmoral, in Aberdeenshire, at the start of August and have enjoyed visits from family in the weeks since.
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will now spend at least two weeks ‘privately’ at Sandringham (pictured)
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have spent time on the estate, as have Princess Anne and Prince Andrew.
It comes following reports that the Queen is set to make Windsor Castle her main home and won’t resume residence at Buckingham Palace this year, according to a royal source.
Her Majesty would like to ‘commute’ to London for engagements if it is safe to do so, the Sunday Times reported.
It is believed the Queen’s absence from Buckingham Palace will be her longest during her 68-year reign.
The Queen would usually go back to the premises in October following her summer break in Balmoral.
It is believed that proposals are being reviewed for how the Queen (pictured in March) could safely attend commemorations at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday in November
Instead, following her time in Sandringham, she will return to Windsor Castle where she self-isolated with the Duke of Edinburgh from March 19 prior to their Scottish holiday.
A royal source said: ‘There is a desire to get Buckingham Palace up and running again as a working palace, but only if all the relevant advice suggests that it is appropriate to do so.’
It is believed that proposals are being reviewed for how the Queen could safely attend commemorations at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday in November.
But Her Majesty apparently won’t be returning to Buckingham Palace again until the threat from COVID-19 is extinguished.
However, it is thought that the Queen will be spending her usual Christmas break at Sandringham in Norfolk.