The Queen is planning to return to public duties “as soon as she possibly can” and will work harder than ever when she does, sources close to the monarch have revealed.
With the country on lockdown there have been reports that the Queen is unlikely to return to public-facing duties for many months. Buckingham Palace is operating on a skeletal staff and will not open to the public this summer, while the Queen and Prince Philip will remain in self isolation at Windsor Castle for the foreseeable future.
However palace aides have told *Vanity Fair* that the Queen is keen to return to work as soon as it is safe for her to do so . “She can’t be seen to be going against official government advice, but it’s fair to say she’s looking forward to getting back to normal,” said a royal source. “It’s a delicate line but I think we will see her doing private audiences again and more of the work we are used to seeing her do in public at some point in the future. She is still receiving her red Government boxes and having her weekly audience with the PM. There is no suggestion of her stepping back, she is very much fulfilling her duties as head of state.”
Far from disappearing during the coronavirus pandemic, Her Majesty has maintained a high profile. She worked for as long as she could before the Covid-19 outbreak forced the country into lockdown in March. While she is said to be “frustrated” that her spring and summer events, like Trooping the Colour and the traditional garden parties, have been cancelled, she is said to be planning to return to Buckingham Palace to resume her official program when it is safe to do so.
Palace aides won’t comment on what is being planned for the autumn, but it is understood events are being planned for the Queen. “The idea that we won’t see the Queen in public again is certainly not the case,” said a second source. “The Queen is planning to come back to work and when she does I think we’ll see her work harder than ever.”
The Queen, who has addressed the nation twice in the past seven weeks, famously said she had to be seen to be believed, and while we may not see her shaking hands with members of the public, the monarch has no plans to quit public life.
“The idea that she’ll reign from a screen is not Her Majesty’s view,” the source added. “There’s a keenness to get back to doing the sort of work she has always done. She very much believes in being seen.”
The coronavirus has forced the monarchy to adapt quickly and change the way it works. All senior members have been called upon to work together and support the Queen, who is in regular contact with all of her family.
After a turbulent year that saw the departure of three senior royals—Prince Andrew, Prince Harry, and Meghan—the Queen is keen for the royal family to show a united front at a time of crisis and she is relying more than ever on those she calls “my substitutes,” including Prince Charles and Camilla, Prince William and Kate, and Prince Edward and Sophie.
While she is keen to return to normality the Queen is said to be making the most of her time in lockdown at her favorite of all the royal residences. She is riding daily and is said to be “in excellent spirits.” She is traditionally at Windsor at this time for Easter Court, but she is enjoying a prolonged period at the castle with her husband, who usually returns to Sandringham later this month.
“One of the nicest things for the Queen is that she is getting to spend more time with her husband than she usually would,” said a friend. “They have dinner together in the evenings and I imagine the Queen is of the generation where she dresses for dinner. She is riding out every day and is making the most of this time.”
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