queen christmas lunch windsor© Photo: Getty Images

The Queen 'considering' to host Christmas family lunch at Windsor Castle - report

The monarch's extended family is usually invited

Online Royal CorrespondentLondon
December 15, 2021

The Queen is still considering whether to host her traditional pre-Christmas family party next week.

The monarch, 95, is due to hold the lunch next Tuesday at Windsor Castle, where she has been staying for most of the pandemic, according to The Sun.

But it is understood that Her Majesty is still considering whether the get-together should happen amid rising Covid cases and the surge in the Omicron variant.

READ: Why the royal family open their presents on Christmas Eve

WATCH: Royals arrive at the Queen's Christmas lunch in 2019

The lunch for her extended family members usually takes place at Buckingham Palace, with the royals pictured arriving in their cars at the Queen's London residence.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children, alongside Princess Eugenie, Princess Beatrice, and Mike and Zara Tindall have all been spotted arriving at the palace gates through the years.

© Photo: Getty Images

The Cambridges arriving at the Queen's Christmas lunch in 2019

The wider family is also usually invited, including Her Majesty's cousins – the Gloucesters, the Duke of Kent and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent.

However, due to restrictions last year, the gathering was unable to take place and the royals spent the Christmas period apart, with the monarch and her late husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, staying at Windsor Castle for the first time in 33 years.

MORE: Meghan Markle requested this unexpected Christmas present for Archie from the Queen

MORE: Kate Middleton's Christmas Day regret revealed and it's so relatable

© Photo: Getty Images

Mike, Zara and daughter Mia arriving at the Christmas lunch in 2019

The Queen will reportedly host her family at her Sandringham estate this year, but Buckingham Palace is yet to confirm the monarch's plans.

This Christmas is Her Majesty's first since the death of her husband of 73 years, the Duke of Edinburgh.

She has only been carrying out light duties since 20 October when concerns for her health were heightened after royal doctors ordered her to rest and she spent a night in hospital undergoing tests.

As well as missing the COP26 summit in Glasgow, the Queen was also forced to pull out of the Remembrance Sunday service due to spraining her back.

On Tuesday, she conducted two virtual Audiences via video link from Windsor Castle.

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