The Queen will travel to the royal family’s Sandringham estate in Norfolk on Wednesday in order to celebrate her 96th birthday and to be closer to her late husband, Prince Philip.
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The monarch will stay at Wood Farm, where Philip lived following his retirement in 2017 and it is thought she will be joined by members of her extended family across the weekend to celebrate. Her birthday is on Thursday 21 April.
WATCH: The Queen reveals she was left "tired and exhausted" after coronavirus
Royal sources have shared that this a "positive step" as she prepares to make the journey despite ongoing mobility issues.
"The Queen decided very recently that on her birthday she wanted to be as close as possible to her late husband and in an environment that was very close to both of their hearts. Sandringham holds so many special memories for the Queen and Prince Philip as well as the rest of the royal family," the Mirror has reported.
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She has been experiencing mobility issues and it's understood that her public appearances are now decided on a case-by-case basis since she was struck down by Covid in February 2022, which left Her Majesty "very tired and exhausted."
The Duke of Edinburgh was laid to rest on 17 April 2021, and one of the Queen's most trusted aides has shared poignant details of how the mother-of-four spent time alone in the hours after the funeral.
The Queen has been unable to attend engagements several times due to ill health
In a new chapter to update her book The Other Side of the Coin, The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe, which is published in this week's HELLO! magazine, Angela Kelly describes how she waited for the monarch in her dressing room until she had returned from the service at St George's Chapel.
She says: "I helped her off with her coat and hat and no words were spoken. The Queen then walked to her sitting room, closed the door behind her, and she was alone with her own thoughts."
Angela, whose full title is Her Majesty's Personal Advisor and Curator (The Queen's Jewellery, Insignias and Wardrobe), was a member of "HMS Bubble", the team of staff who isolated alongside Her Majesty and Prince Philip throughout lockdown to protect them from Covid-19.
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