Why this Christmas will be the Queen's loneliest one ever

The Queen has had to choose which of her children to spend Christmas with amid lockdown. Photo / Getty Images

For the first time in decades, the Queen and Prince Philip have switched up their Christmas plans and will be spending the holiday season at Windsor Castle, a statement from Buckingham Palace said.

The royal family traditionally celebrate Christmas at the Queen's Sandringham estate in Norfolk, but the pandemic has forced them to make some big changes, according to Metro UK.

The Queen, 94, and the Duke of Edinburgh, 99, may be able to see a few family members briefly but are likely to spend most of the festive celebrations alone.

A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace said, "Having considered all the appropriate advice, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have decided that this year they will spend Christmas quietly in Windsor."

The Queen and Prince Philip, who celebrated 73 years of marriage last month, have not spent Christmas at home since the mid-1980s. It's understood the Queen won't be attending church on Christmas day either, to keep clear of the crowds. There's been a lot of speculation about where the royals will spend the holiday and who they'll spend it with.

Over Christmas, Covid restrictions in the UK will be relaxed for a few days to allow families to spend time with each other - but only up to three households are allowed to mingle indoors.

This means the Queen can't spend Christmas with all four of her children - but the royals have reportedly come up with an "ingenious" plan to spend Boxing Day together.

Christmas is usually an extended family affair for the royals. Photo / Getty Images

There have been reports that the exclusive royal bubble has been chosen and that the Queen and Prince Philip will spend Christmas Day with Prince Edward and his family.

It's not yet known who the third chosen household is, but others could join in on Boxing Day for the traditional post-Christmas shoot, a source told the Daily Mail. Shoots are allowed to take place as they're technically outdoor organised sports, meaning up to 30 people could attend.

Charles and Camilla will spend Christmas Day at their home of Highgrove, but expect to see his parents at Windsor during the holidays, with Camilla also planning to visit her family. The Queen and Prince Philip have spent most of lockdown at Windsor Castle being served by a reduced number of staff nicknamed HMS Bubble.

In the 1960s when the royal children were young, many Christmases were celebrated at Windsor. But the celebrations returned to Sandringham since 1988, when the castle was being rewired.