Many people over the age of 70 have been self-isolating for over three months now, and the Queen – aside from living with 22 staff – has been no different.
- Her Majesty has been in lockdown just like the rest of us - but with 22 members of staff.
- It's been revealed what the Queen has been doing to keep herself busy.
- This comes after the royal news that Prince George has an adorable new nickname for his grandad Prince Charles.
The 94-year-old has been isolating at Windsor Castle with Prince Philip, 99, and her staff in what colleagues have dubbed the ‘HMS Bubble’. The staff have agreed to live away from their own families for the duration of lockdown, meaning they can serve the royals without PPE or needing to follow social-distancing guidelines.
Here, we reveal what Her Majesty has been getting up to…
Business as usual
The Queen is a very hard worker, and she hasn’t let the lockdown stop her. She’s been busy keeping up with the news, reading newspapers and watching bulletins on TV. She’s also been holding her weekly audiences with the Prime Minister over the phone, and has mastered FaceTime and Zoom in order to conduct business as well as keep in touch with her family.
She has been missing being amongst the public, and so is already in the early stages of planning the celebrations for her Platinum Jubilee in 2022, marking 70 years on the British throne.
But the thing Her Majesty misses above all is her Sunday visits to the Royal Chapel of All Saints at Windsor. An insider revealed to the Daily Mail, ‘I think the first time we’ll see the Queen in public will be at church. She goes every Sunday without fail, and her Christian faith means so much to her.’
MORE: The Queen's former chef reveals how to make the perfect scone
DIY hair
The Queen’s hairdresser Ian Carmichael usually does her hair at least once a week, but has obviously been unable to work throughout the lockdown. However, the Queen has actually done her own hair for years at Balmoral during her summer holidays, so she’s used to it.
A source revealed to The Sun, ‘She washes, dries and sets it herself – and she’s very good at it! She has had lots of practice and so she knows exactly what to do.
‘Her dresser Angela Kelly has been helping her, but the Queen does it all herself. It is typical of her that she just keeps calm and makes the best of things.’
From what we’ve learned about the Queen over the decades of her reign, this is typical of her famously pragmatic approach!
Horse riding
The Queen is an avid horse rider, and that hasn’t changed in lockdown. Every morning, after being woken by a bagpiper under her window, she has slipped out of a side door in Windsor Castle, and driven herself to Home Park to ride one of her beloved fell ponies – all unaccompanied, as she doesn’t want to risk her health, according to royal commentator Emily Andrews in the Daily Mail.
Before she gets there, head groom Terry Pendry ensures her ponies are ready to ride, with all protective disinfectant measures taken, especially on the saddle and bridle, and he keeps two metres away from Her Majesty at all times.
Terry even changed his team’s routine so that their exercise route has been running alongside the Queen’s living quarters, and she’s been able to see her horses and stable staff on their way to and back from their rides. She’s been chatting to them out of her window, and they even paraded in front of her window for her 94th birthday in April.
Spending time together
The Queen and Prince Philip have been married for 70 years, but she usually spends only weekends or a month at a time at Windsor, while Philip reportedly spends most of his time at Sandringham or Windsor.
For this reason, lockdown has been the longest amount of time they have spent together in years – even if they are still living in separate quarters.
A source revealed they’ve been enjoying lunch and dinner together every day, adding, I imagine the Queen is of the generation where she dresses for dinner.’
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