Royals ready for a return to active service as rules ease
THE Royal Family is planning a return to public duties after weeks of conducting official engagements over the phone and video calls.
As the lockdown restrictions ease, younger royals in particular are beginning to consider how they can undertake their work safely.
But it may be trickier for older members of the family, such as the Queen, Prince Charles and Camilla.
They like other royals, such as the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra, are in the over-70 age group most at risk from the coronavirus.
Charles and Camilla are stuck in the Highlands until the Scottish government changes its guidance.
But the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, and Princess Anne – who is not 70 until August – are in theory in a better position. A royal source close to William and Kate said yesterday: “As with other royal households we are looking at ways we can do physical engagements in the future in line with the Government guidance.”
The source explained that the biggest issue with potential physical engagements at the moment is crowds.
The insider added: “We clearly don’t want to encourage any additional pressure this might bring on police resourcing.”
Ministers have urged the public to work from home if they can. But at the same time Parliament has been recalled and many other people have returned to their jobs.
In mainland Europe many of the royal families have been back out working for weeks, meeting health and care workers and appearing in public, often wearing protective face masks.
The King and Queen of Spain took part in a minute’s silence for Covid-19 victims during a visit to a logistics centre in Madrid yesterday.
Senior members of European royal families, including Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco, and Queen Mathilde and Princess Astrid of Belgium, have all been out on official duties this week. Queen Maxima was seen cycling without a mask to open a museum in The Hague on Tuesday.