The Queen has headed to her private bolthole on the Sandringham estate to reflect "after a traumatic 12 months", a royal expert has said.
Yesterday, pictures showed H er Majesty making the emotional pilgrimage from Windsor Castle to Sandringham for a stay at the five-bedroom cottage Wood Farm.
The cottage is where the late Prince Philip lived following his retirement from public life and is where the Queen and her beloved husband could relax together.
Her trip comes just weeks after the Queen stripped her son Prince Andrew of his military titles and learned grandson Prince Harry was launching a legal battle against her government over his security.
And speaking to the Mirror, royal biographer Robert Jobson, author of the book Prince Philip’s Century, explained it has long been a place of retreat for the Queen.
He said: "The Grade II-listed Wood Farm, located on a secluded part of the Queen’s Sandringham Estate looking out to sea, has long been a bolthole for the Queen and her late husband Prince Philip.
"It is where the Queen, Philip, and their four children went to relax for more than 50 years. And, of course, it is where Philip made his retirement home in his twilight years with the Queen’s blessing
"The Queen was known to cook and even do dishes while she was staying there.
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"It is now the place Her Majesty, now a widow, has chosen to go for a bit of privacy and reflection after a traumatic 12 months.
"With its simple furnishings and open fires, it is a lot less formal than life at Windsor, Buckingham Palace and even Balmoral, although it is spacious enough.
"When Philip was there, he didn’t stand on ceremony and servants didn’t wear the usual royal uniforms.
"Prince John, the youngest son of George V and Queen Mary who suffered from severe epilepsy and possibly autism, resided at Wood Farm from 1917 until his death there in 1919 and before Philip moved in, the younger royals too had several times held private parties at Wood Farm."
The Queen usually spends the month of January and February at Sandringham - following Christmas - in order to mark the anniversary of her father George VI's death.
He died at the estate in February 1952 - and this is when the Queen officially became the monarch.
This year marks 70 years since George VI's death and Robert says it will be especially poignant as it is also the first year the Queen will face the milestone since Philip's death last April.
He added: "As has been tradition for many years, The Queen has travelled to her Norfolk estate at Sandringham every Christmas and usually stayed on until after the anniversary of her father King George VI’s death, on 6 February in 1952 in Sandringham.
"Again, due to Covid protocols, she had to remain at Windsor Castle since the autumn – where she held muted celebrations with close family, including the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall.
"This Ascension Day will officially mark 70 years as monarch following the untimely death of King at just 56.
"There will be no broadcast to the nation, for Her Majesty, who will be 96 in April, it will be a day in quiet, sombre reflection. Now without Prince Philip by her side, it will be even more poignant."
