In a break with tradition, the Queen and Prince Philip were driven to the back entrance of the church at Sandringham on Sunday morning, instead of walking the few hundred yards from the main house to the estate’s church with local well wishers looking on, as they normally do.
The change of custom prompted concern that the Duke, who appeared to have suffered some injuries to his head and face, may not have been in good enough health for the traditional walk.
Buckingham Palace, however, moved swiftly to allay worries: a spokesperson denied that the 81-year-old Duke had suffered a fall and said, “There is absolutely nothing untoward; he is neither ill nor injured, and it is business as usual.”
That statement was more than borne out by the Queen’s broad smiles as she was driven to church with her husband. And though dozens of fans who had gathered at the gates of the royal estate in Norfolk were disappointed when the royals passed by in a Rolls-Royce instead of on foot, they did have the chance to greet the Queen and the Duke after the 45-minute service. The Queen, seeing people still waiting in the hope of catching a glimpse of her, asked her driver to stop and invited wellwishers to pass their flowers in through the car window.
In a further break with custom, the Queen’s 3pm Christmas Day speech, which has been recorded at Sandringham, is being publicised via TV previews.
The unprecedented move was explained by Buckingham Palace as a response to “a momentous and roller-coaster year.” The broadcast used to be an integral part of Christmas Day for many families, and reached its zenith in the late 80s with an audience of up to 28 million. In 1992, the Queen’s “annus horribilis”, it was watched by 17.9 million viewers, but only 8.7 million tuned in last year.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
