Princess Anne’s husband, Sir Timothy Laurence, has tested positive for COVID-19. A Buckingham Palace spokesman states “Princess Anne’s husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence has tested positive for Covid and is following all appropriate rules. Princess Anne is also isolating.”
The confirmation comes after royal correspondent Omid Scobie tweeted on Wednesday, December 22, 2021, that Queen Elizabeth II’s daughter would have to change her plans for the holiday season.
In accordance with the government’s guidance, the couple will have to isolate at their home in Gloucestershire for 10 days. The news comes days after the queen shared that she will not travel to her Sandringham estate for the traditional Christmas celebrations. Instead, the 95-year-old monarch will stay and celebrate at her home at Windsor Castle.
This is the second year in a row that the royal has decided to celebrate at home in Windsor.
The queen also recently announced that this year’s annual pre-Christmas luncheon — which had been scheduled for Tuesday – was canceled out of an abundance of caution due to the recent surge in COVID-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant.
The royal family’s altered Christmas plans come eight months after the death of the queen’s husband, Prince Philip.
Holiday alterations also come as Her Royal Highness has scaled back her engagements in recent months due to health concerns. In November, she missed the Remembrance Day Service after spraining her back. In October, the monarch spent the night in the hospital – upon the doctor’s suggestion — for tests and observations.
The royal has since returned to her duties and is set to resume regularly scheduled engagements after the holiday season.
