Covid-19 pandemic means Queen may not return to Buckingham Palace

London — The Royal Standard is flown above Buckingham Palace when Queen Elizabeth II is there. However, the flag may never be raised there again.

This is because the Queen has moved out of her official working residence and it is said that the monarch will not be able to return to the London base. She has lived for most of her life in the London palace and has raised her children there.

However, the Covid-19 pandemic forced the monarch to leave a couple of months ago. The Queen announced on March 19 that she and Prince Philip would move out of their residences to Windsor Castle in Berkshire, England.

It was thought that the move would be temporary and that the royal family matriarch would return to Buckingham Palace and Prince Philip would return to Woodfarm Cottage when it was safe to do so.

However, after their summer holiday at Balmoral has ended, the Queen will not return to London like she used to. According to The Mirror, Queen Elizabeth II has been informed that the safest option for her is to go back to Windsor Castle, where there is a close-knit “bubble” of household staff. It is also said that the Queen can commute to the city for official business.

The question is: If Queen Elizabeth II stays at Windsor, will Prince Charles prepare to move into the London palace? Based on multiple reports, he is not interested in living in the palace or when he becomes King.

“I know he is no fan of ‘The Big House’, as he calls the palace,” a source told The Sunday Times. “He doesn’t see it as a ­viable future home or a house that’s fit for purpose in the modern world. He feels its upkeep, both from a cost and environmental perspective, is not sustainable.” /TISG