The Queen's Christmas plans have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic this year, with the monarch having to spend the festive season at Windsor Castle for the first time in 33 years.
And that's not the only break from tradition – Her Majesty's annual gift giving ceremony for her staff has reportedly been cancelled.
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Every year, the Queen personally hands out presents to some members of the royal household at Buckingham Palace and at Windsor Castle to thank them for their service. However, according to The Daily Mail, the annual ceremony will not take place amid social distancing rules.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the reports.
The small selection of staff chosen to personally meet with the monarch usually include long-serving staff members or employees who have had a particularly successful year.
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© Photo: Getty ImagesThe Queen and Prince Philip will spend Christmas at Windsor Castle
Staff members will still receive a gift in the mail along with the traditional Christmas pudding, sourced from Tesco in recent years.
The Christmas pudding tradition was started by the Queen's grandfather, King George V, and around 1500 are paid for by Her Majesty, through the Privy Purse, and are distributed to staff throughout the palaces, staff in the Court Post Office and palace police. Each pudding is accompanied by a greeting card from the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe Queen and Prince Philip recently celebrated their 73rd anniversary
Credit: Chris Jackson/Getty
Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh have been staying with a small team of staff dubbed HMS Bubble since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak in March.
The couple spent the first lockdown at Windsor Castle before travelling to Balmoral in Scotland for their traditional summer break.
The Queen and Prince Philip also spent some time privately on the Sandringham estate in October, before returning to Windsor Castle during England's second lockdown in November.
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