Queen Elizabeth II will reflect on the hardships of the coronavirus pandemic in her Christmas speech later, as she and the Duke of Edinburgh spend the day apart from their family.
They will celebrate Christmas at Windsor Castle and not Sandringham, as is their usual tradition. The Royal Family usually spends the day together, but will not visit each other this year because of restrictions.
The Queen will also forgo her usual church service and worship privately to avoid crowds, it is understood.
Her Christmas Day speech will be broadcast at 15:00 GMT.
The Queen, 94, and Prince Philip, 99, have been living at Windsor Castle during the pandemic with small household staff. It is thought to be the first time the couple have not spent Christmas at their Sandringham home since the mid-1980s.
On Christmas Day, the Royal Family tweeted a video of St George's Chapel choir singing.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge acknowledged those going through a particularly difficult time this year because of the pandemic, tweeting pictures of people working through the festive season.
Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall sent their Christmas wishes on social media, telling followers, "Here's to a better new year."
The Queen's address will mark the end of a year that saw her go for seven months - March to October - without carrying out public engagements outside of a royal residence.
During that time, her son, the Prince of Wales, 72, contracted coronavirus and displayed mild symptoms.
Palace sources also told the BBC that the Duke of Cambridge tested positive in April - though Kensington Palace refused to comment officially.
The royals have spent some time together during the pandemic. The Queen and several other senior royals attended a socially-distanced Christmas carol concert at Windsor Castle this month. She was also joined by family members at a scaled-back Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph in London's Whitehall in November. - BBC Source: https://www.daily-bangladesh.com/
