The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the cancellation of a royal family tradition.
Queen Elizabeth II has canceled her pre-Christmas lunch with the extended family, BBC News reported.
The palace said the decision was made due to the surge of the omicron variant in the U.K.
The lunch, which is held before Elizabeth departs for Sandringham, was supposed to take place next week at Windsor Castle.
Guests usually include the queen’s children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and the monarch’s cousins the Duke of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent and Prince Michael of Kent.
Immediate family members attend events at the queen’s Sandringham estate in Norfolk, CNN reported.
This is the second year in a row that the lunch has been canceled due to COVID-19, CNN reported. This will also be the first Christmas since the death of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, to whom the queen was married for 73 years.
The queen, who is 95 years old, canceled multiple appearances in October and November on medical advice, the “Today” show reported last month.
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