Buckingham Palace has announced that two of the Queen's public royal engagements will be rescheduled, amid the coronavirus outbreak. The 93-year-old monarch was due to carry out visits to Cheshire on 19 March and Camden on 26 March, but the palace said in a statement on Friday: "As a sensible precaution and for practical reasons in the current circumstances, changes are being made to the Queen’s diary commitments in the coming weeks."
The statement added: "In consultation with the Medical Household and Government, Her Majesty’s forthcoming visits to Cheshire and Camden will be rescheduled. Audiences will continue as usual. Other events will be reviewed on an ongoing basis in line with the appropriate advice."
READ: How royal families have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic
Audiences will continue as normal
The announcement comes after Clarence House confirmed that the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall's tour to the Republic of Cyprus and Jordan this month has been postponed. Charles and Camilla were due to travel on Tuesday 17 March, with the Prince also scheduled to visit Bosnia and Herzegovina. A Clarence House spokesman said: "Owing to the unfolding situation with the coronavirus pandemic, the British government has asked Their Royal Highnesses to postpone their spring tour to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus and Jordan."
The royals have been carrying out engagements as normal this week, with the Queen, Charles, Camilla along with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Earl and Countess of Wessex all in attendance at the Commonwealth Day service on Monday.
MORE: Prince Charles and Camilla's spring tour postponed amid coronavirus pandemic
Sophie cancelled a day of engagements in Yorkshire on Wednesday due to illness. The Countess had been due to visit The Old Fire Station in Gipton, Leeds, but sadly was forced to postpone her appearance. Sharing the news on their Twitter page, The Old Fire Station wrote: "We are sorry to announce that HRH the Countess of Wessex is unwell and has had to postpone her planned visit to our community hub this afternoon. We wish her a speedy recovery," before adding: "(And don't worry, its not covid19) We look forward to welcoming HRH in the future."
Make sure you never miss a ROYAL story! Sign up to our newsletter to get all of our celebrity, royal and lifestyle news delivered directly to your inbox.