Coronavirus: Queen cancels Buckingham Palace garden parties - but audiences continue

Buckingham Palace has cancelled this year’s garden parties amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but the Queen will continue her audiences this week.

She will also leave London for Easter in Windsor a week earlier than usual and may remain there for longer.

It comes after an announcement from the government that people should avoid social contact, including a measure that it would stop supporting mass gatherings.

The decision impacts the five parties to be held in London, but the Scottish event in July is still under review.

The Queen will still host an audience in Buckingham Palace with the Bishop of Hereford, and will still have her weekly meeting with Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister.

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Other events in the coming weeks “with large numbers of people” due to be attended by the Queen or other members of the Royal Family will be cancelled or postponed.

The annual Maundy Service at St George’s Chapel on 9 April will not go ahead, and investitures will be rearranged.

The palace said it was a “sensible precaution” in the current circumstances.

The Queen turns 94 next month, while Prince Charles is 71 and his wife Camilla is 72, putting them all in the high risk category for coronavirus.

Prince Charles and Camilla had already postponed a royal tour which was due to begin this week. They were scheduled to go to Cyprus and Jordan together, while Charles was also going to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

On Tuesday, the Foreign Office changed its advice to warn against all but essential travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina and urged Britons to return home.

Palace garden parties host 8,000 people at a time in the Buckingham Palace gardens, and although they are outside, the guests will queue to meet the Queen.

Thousands of cups of tea are made and about 20,000 sandwiches and 20,000 slices of cake are consumed at each party.

Three of them are hosted by the Queen and two by charities.

The palace has said those who were due to go to this year’s parties will be automatically invited for the 2021 events.

Japan appeared to take the decision out of the palace’s hands by postponing the planned trip for Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masakois to the UK in May.

Nippon TV reported the government looked likely to postpone the trip, but Buckingham Palace said it would confirm in due course.

Other events in the royal calendar which could be affected include Royal Ascot, Trooping the Colour, and the 75th anniversary of VE Day.

The palace said it would make an announcement on the visit from the Emperor as well as Trooping the Colour and VE Day “in due course”.

The Queen spent the weekend in Windsor as she usually does, but returned to London on Monday. She is due to carry on with audiences, but her engagements for the week were also postponed.

Princess Anne continued with engagements this week, though was pictured wearing gloves throughout.

She is 69, so not yet in the high risk category, though her birthday is in August.

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Other working royals include the Queen’s cousins the Duke of Gloucester, 75, the Duke of Kent, 84, and Princess Alexandra who is 83.

On Monday evening, Palace spokesman said: “We are studying the implications of the new Government advice and its impact on forthcoming events.”

Some events had already been moved. The Earl of Wessex was due to hold a dinner at St James’s Palace in London for The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation on Monday, but it was called off.

An Anglo-Swedish Society reception at Buckingham Palace, also set to be hosted by Edward, on Tuesday has also been postponed.

Alexander Malmaeus, chairman of the society, said: “It was due to a duty of care. The Earl of Wessex and the Anglo-Swedish Society made the decision jointly.”

An Anglo-Netherlands Society centenary celebration on Tuesday, in the presence of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester at Kensington Palace, has been postponed.

The society said on its website: “We have taken this decision with a heavy heart, but it reflects our collective, precautionary judgement, taking full account of recent developments over the Covid-19 virus, including Government statements.”

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Government advice on Monday includes the threat of fines and imprisonment to anyone who refuses to self-isolate.

The Royal Family has been following government advice on dealing with coronavirus in recent weeks.

Prince Charles opted to greet people with a namaste gesture at the Prince’s Trust awards, as well as at the Commonwealth Day service.

His son Prince Harry elbow bumped with Craig David, while Prince William kept his hands clasped to try to avoid shaking hands.

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Anne, the Princess Royal, carried on with an engagement to an equestrian centre where she met the British Horse Society’s education team.

A spokesman for the BHS said: “We’re doing exactly what the Government has advised. We have additional hand sanitisers and we’re encouraging people to wash their hands.”

Her engagement came before the government’s announcement to stop all non-essential travel and social contact.

The Chelsea Flower Show in May, which is often attended by at least one senior member of the Royal Family, has been cancelled.