Queen Elizabeth II cancels another public appearance for health 0:42
(CNN) -
Queen Elizabeth II canceled a family lunch before Christmas as a precautionary measure due to a spike in COVID-19 cases in the UK, a Buckingham Palace source told CNN on Thursday.
According to the source, the decision is a precautionary one since it is considered that the lunch would put at risk the Christmas arrangements of many people if it were carried out.
While there is "regret" that the lunch has been canceled, the source added, there is a belief that it is "the right thing to do" for everyone involved.
The 95-year-old monarch is usually the host of the annual event for her extended family before Christmas at Buckingham Palace.
Last year's meeting was also canceled due to the pandemic.
advertising
It was believed that there were plans for Christmas lunch at Windsor Castle next Tuesday, according to PA Media.
Queen Elizabeth II will rest for at least two weeks by medical order and will not make official visits
1 of 45
|
Queen Elizabeth II is the longest-serving monarch in British history.
Eddie Mulholland / WPA Pool / Getty Images
2 of 45
|
Isabel was born on April 21, 1926 in London.
PA Images / Getty Images
3 of 45
|
Princess Elizabeth poses for a photo at her London home in 1928. Hulton-Deutsch Collection / Corbis / Getty Images
4 of 45
|
From left: Princess Elizabeth, King George VI, Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in 1939. Len Puttnam / AP
5 of 45
|
Elizabeth rides a horse in Windsor, England, in 1940. Lisa Sheridan / Studio Lisa / Getty Images
6 of 45
|
14-year-old Isabel (right) sits next to her sister for a radio broadcast on October 13, 1940. AP
7 of 45
|
Princess Elizabeth greets a military man on May 29, 1942. AP
8 of 45
|
Elizabeth (right) and Princess Margaret in sundresses in 1942. Lisa Sheridan / Studio Lisa / Getty Images
9 of 45
|
Princess Elizabeth in South Africa's Natal National Park on April 21, 1947. It was her 21st birthday. Eddie Worth / AP
10 of 45
|
On November 20, 1947, Isabel married Prince Philip.
PhotoQuest / Getty Images
11 of 45
|
Princess Elizabeth arrives at a state banquet in London in March 1950. AP
12 of 45
|
Isabel ascends the throne in February 1952, after the death of her father.
AFP / Getty Images
13 of 45
|
From left: Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth II and the Queen Mother in 1958. Fox Photos / Hulton Royals Collection / Getty Images
14 of 45
|
Queen Elizabeth II with her eldest son, Prince Charles, in 1969. Charles is next in line to the throne.
Hulton Archive / Getty Images
15 of 45
|
Prince Charles adjusts his crown during his inauguration ceremony as Prince of Wales in 1969. Anwar Hussein / WireImage / Getty Images
16 of 45
|
The Queen and Prince Philip salute from a plane shortly before taking off from Tokyo in May 1975. Sadayuki Mikami / AP
17 of 45
|
The queen takes a portrait for her 50th birthday at Windsor Castle on April 21, 1976. (Keystone-France / Gamma-Keystone / Getty Images)
18 of 45
|
The queen on a 1977 New Zealand tour. Serge Lemoine / Getty Images
19 of 45
|
The queen, standing next to Prince Charles as he kisses his new wife, Princess DIana, on July 29, 1981. Tim Graham / Getty Images
20 of 45
|
Isabel takes photos of her husband during an equestrian show in Windsor in May 1982. Tim Graham / Getty Images
21 of 45
|
Isabel drives a Land Rover in Windsor in May 1992. Anwar Hussein / Getty Images
22 of 45
|
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip watch the floral tributes for Princess Diana after her tragic death in 1997. Pool / AP
23 of 45
|
The queen addresses a message to the country the night before Princess Diana's funeral in 1997. Peter Marlow / Magnum Photos
24 of 45
|
Prince Charles looks at his mother after his wedding to Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, in April 2005. Toby Melville / AP
25 of 45
|
The Queen (second from right) greets the crowd from the balcony of Buckingham Palace on April 29, 2011. Her grandson, Prince William (third from left) had just married Catherine Middleton.
James Devaney / FilmMagic / Getty Images
26 of 45
|
The queen's signature on a guest book in Ireland.
Irish Government / Pool / Getty Images
27 of 45
|
London's Madame Tussauds museum unveils the queen's wax figure in May 2012. Fred Duval / Getty Images
28 of 45
|
Prince Charles kisses his mother's hand during the Diamond Jubilee concert for the 60th anniversary of Elizabeth II's reign in June 2012. Leon Neal / AFP / Getty Images
29 of 45
|
The queen in a 2012 picture. Alastair Grant / AP
30 of 45
|
A boy in Belfast, Northern Ireland, takes a selfie in front of the queen in June 2014. Peter Macdiarmid / Getty Images
31 of 45
|
The Queen at Edinburgh Castle in July 2014.
32 of 45
|
The queen waits to give her speech during the opening of Parliament in May 2015. Arthur Edwards / Pool / Getty Images
33 of 45
|
Isabel listens to her grandson, Prince Jorge, outside the church where Jorge's sister, Carlota, was baptized in July 2015. Carlota and Jorge are children of Prince William and Catherine.
34 of 45
|
The Queen and Prince Philip during Elizabeth II's 90th birthday in 2016. Arthur Edwards / Pool / Getty Images
35 of 45
|
Isabel talks to 14-year-old Evie Mills, who was injured at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester in 2017. Peter Byrne / Pool / Getty Images
36 of 45
|
The Queen at Buckingham Palace after recording her Christmas message in 2017. John Stillwell / Pool / Getty
37 of 45
|
The queen arrives at the wedding of her grandson, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, in May 2018. Gareth Fuller / WPA Pool / Getty Images
38 of 45
|
The queen laughs alongside Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, during an event in June 2018. Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images
39 of 45
|
The Queen and US President Donald Trump inspect an honor guard during Trump's visit to Windsor Castle in July 2018. Matt Dunham / WPA Pool / Getty Images
40 of 45
|
Queen Elizabeth sits alone during the funeral of Prince Philip - who died on April 9, 2021 - in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on April 17.
41 of 45
|
Queen Elizabeth opens Parliament in May 2021. It was her first major engagement since her husband's death.
Chris Jackson / Pool / AFP / Getty Images
42 of 45
|
The queen receives a rose from the Duke of Edinburgh at the hands of Keith Weed, President of the Royal Horticultural Society, in June 2021. The newly bred rose was officially named in honor of Prince Philip.
Steve Parsons / AP
43 of 45
|
Queen Elizabeth meets with United States President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden in the Great Corridor of Windsor Castle in June 2021. Steve Parsons / WPA Pool / Getty Images
44 of 45
|
The Queen drives her Range Rover while attending the Royal Windsor Horse Show in Windsor, England, in July 2021. Max Mumby / Indigo / Getty Images
45 of 45
|
The Queen and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, left, greet guests during a reception for international business and investment leaders at Windsor Castle to mark the Global Investment Summit on October 19.
Alastair Grant / Pool / Getty Images
The Queen's Christmas Lunch
In previous years, Queen Elizabeth invited her entire family to join her at her London residence before departing for Sandringham in Norfolk, where she welcomes close relatives during the year-end holiday period.
The main residence of the monarch these days is Windsor Castle, on the outskirts of London.
This year is the queen's first Christmas since the death of her husband of 73 years, Prince Philip, in April.
The decision to cancel this year comes after strong warnings from England's medical director about the spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus, asking people to be careful so that Christmas can be preserved.
Professor Chris Whitty said that people should "prioritize what matters to them" when considering attending parties and other events during the Christmas period.
The United Kingdom expects an exponential rise in infections with omicron
Queen Elizabeth II cancels another public appearance for health 0:42
The omicron variant hits the UK
The omicron coronavirus variant is spreading at a rate not seen with previous variants, according to World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
And officials in Britain say the country is facing a "surge" of omicron infections.
The strain became dominant in London, outperforming the previous variant, delta.
On Monday, the UK reported its first death from the variant, and on Wednesday it reported 78,610 new cases of the coronavirus, the highest number of daily cases since the pandemic began.
The previous record for new daily infections was 68,053 on January 8.
Queen isabel II
/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/6M4PW47DCNEBNJKTRL54HEQV74.jpg)
