Queen Elizabeth II will celebrate Christmas at Windsor instead of her usual choice of Sandringham as the Omicron coronavirus variant continues to spread rapidly, a palace source says.
A new wave of infections has swept across the United Kingdom in recent weeks since the outbreak of the new variant.
The country recorded 91,743 new cases on Monday and 44 deaths.
There have been more than 584,000 new cases recorded in the last seven days, as well as 786 deaths.
"The decision was a personal one after careful consideration and reflects a precautionary approach," the palace source said.
"There will be family visiting Windsor over the Christmas period and all appropriate guidelines will be followed."
The royal family normally mark Christmas Day by walking from the Queen's Sandringham estate in eastern England to a nearby church to attend the morning service.
The 95-year-old monarch has spent most of the COVID-19 pandemic at Windsor Castle to the west of London.
Last week she cancelled a pre-Christmas lunch with her extended family as a safety precaution against the latest variant.
Reuters/ABC
