The Queen Mother was flown by helicopter to Windsor on Thursday, in readiness for the funeral of her younger daughter Princess Margaret. However, a decision on whether or not she will attend will not be made until Friday.
Leaving the Royal Norfolk estate of Sandringham at around 2:50pm, the helicopter reached the Royal Lodge, the Queen Mother’s Windsor home, around 45 minutes later.
The 101-year-old royal matriarch was said to be determined to attend her daughter’s funeral, despite ongoing health problems and cutting her arm in a fall on Wednesday. The doctor who dressed the wound following the accident described it as “relatively minor”.
The Queen Mother has been at Sandringham since before Christmas suffering from a persistent cold and chesty cough, and has not been seen in public since November 2001. She is, however, said to be coping as well as can be expected with the bereavement.
In London, preparations are underway to move Princess Margaret’s coffin from the Queen’s Chapel in St James’s Palace to Windsor, ahead of the private ceremony to be held in the castle’s St George’s Chapel at 3pm on Friday.
Prince Charles will return from Ireland, where he is currently on a two-day trip, in time to attend the funeral with his sons William and Harry. Meanwhile, the Princess Royal, who is currently in Salt Lake City attending the Winter Olympics, is also expected to return to the UK for the service.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
