Queen and Prince Philip leave Buckingham Palace for Sandringham by helicopter

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh had been this afternoon picked up by helicopter from Buckingham Palace to start their Christmas break at Sandringham after cancelling plans to journey yesterday as a consequence of heavy colds.

The 90-year-old monarch's official flight landed within the palace backyard shortly after 1.15pm to gather the couple for the hour-long journey to her non-public Norfolk property.

Royal aides had been pressured to cancel plans for them to journey by prepare on the final minute yesterday morning after medical doctors deemed them too unwell to go. 

However in the present day, simply over 24 hours later and in a really uncommon transfer, the royal couple took off from Buckingham Palace by helicopter. They landed at Sandringham Home at round 2.10pm.

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Touchdown: The royal couple arrive by helicopter for a Christmas break at Sandringham Home

Festive vacation: The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh had been this afternoon picked up by helicopter from Buckingham Palace to start their Christmas break at Sandringham

The Queen and Prince Philip this afternoon travelled by helicopter, as they did to open the brand new East Anglian Air Ambulance base at Cambridge Airport on July 13 this yr (pictured)

Members of the general public visiting the 20,00Zero-acre property cheered and waved because the helicopter flew overhead earlier than touching down within the grounds.

There was hypothesis in the present day that the Queen and Philip selected to fly to Sandringham as a result of they weren't properly sufficient to be pushed as much as north Norfolk.

The Queen by no means usually travels to Sandringham by helicopter, preferring to go by prepare or automobile, and her helicopter is simply normally used to hold members of the Royal household on public engagements.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman has confirmed the Queen's Christmas message shall be broadcast as traditional at 3pm on Christmas Day. 

'It's recorded a while prematurely,' the spokesman mentioned.

Mom-of-three Sheena Pennington, 57, from Dersingham, Norfolk, who was visiting the property along with her mom Ann Meek, 88, mentioned: 'I'm glad that the Queen and Prince Philip have arrived safely.

'We want all of them the very best and hope they has a stunning Christmas. We all know they love arising right here.

'I had anticipated them to be pushed up by automobile as they was not properly sufficient to catch the prepare, so I used to be fairly shocked that they got here by helicopter.

'It appeared very wise to fly and it bought them right here in double fast time. I hope they are going to be sitting by a fireplace with a scorching toddy to heat them up.

'The final time we noticed a helicopter right here was when the Queen Mom was critically unwell and flew again to London.' 

Choose up: The 90-year-old monarch's official flight landed within the palace backyard shortly after 1.15pm to gather the couple for the hour-long journey to her non-public Norfolk property 

The Queen yesterday delayed her plans to journey to Norfolk for the beginning of her Christmas break

Yesterday, royal safety was out in drive at each King's Cross and King's Lynn stations however simply minutes earlier than her anticipated arrival in time to catch the 10.44am out of the capital, police had been advised to face down. 

At King's Lynn, the place she was as a consequence of arrive at 12.21pm, officers who had cordoned off an space prepared for her automobile had been equally advised to go away. 

After hours of hypothesis, Buckingham Palace lastly confirmed at 1.35pm yesterday in a press release: 'The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh have heavy colds, and so have determined to not journey to Sandringham in the present day.'

The Queen and Prince Philip are actually anticipated to be joined in Sandringham by different members of the Royal household over the following few days.

Prince Harry, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall are all set to reach, together with Princess Anne and her household in addition to Prince Edward and spouse Sophie and their kids.

Final week it was revealed that Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, together with Prince George and Princess Charlotte, shall be spending Christmas as an alternative with Kate's household at their house in Berkshire.

Safety across the Sandringham property seems to have been stepped up this yr following the lorry assault which killed 12 folks in Berlin.

Police with sniffer canines had been seen looking the perimeter of the property grounds on Wednesday afternoon.

Armed police are additionally standing guard exterior the entrances to Sandringham Home.

One officer unusually had his handgun on show in a holster on his waist. In earlier years, officers have normally stored their weapons hidden from view.

The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh arrived by helicopter at Sandringham Home this afternoon

A Buckingham Palace spokesman confirmed 20 minutes later: 'I can verify that The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh have left Buckingham Palace and are travelling to Sandringham'

The Queen is anticipated to go to her horses on the Sandringham stud farm tomorrow as she historically does firstly of her Christmas break, assuming she is properly sufficient.

Prince Philip can also be anticipated to tour the property to be sure that every part is working easily.

No pheasant shoots are anticipated to happen till the standard Royal shoot on Boxing Day.

However Norfolk Police have signalled that the Royal household intend to take a tricky line in opposition to photographers taking unofficial footage of them on the property.

Photographers are believed to have been handed letters by Norfolk Police warning them that the Royal household have a 'proper to personal household life' and 'greater than cheap expectations of privateness'.

The letter apparently warns that 'intrusions into their privateness' shall be taken 'critically'.

On Tuesday the Queen hosted her annual pre-Christmas lunch - a royal custom which permits her to meet up with extra distant relations who should not invited to hitch her at Sandringham on the 25th.

And it was additionally revealed earlier this week that the Queen had relinquished greater than two dozen of her most excessive profile patronages as she took one other step again from royal duties.

On the finish of her 90th birthday yr, the monarch has handed over official roles with 25 charities and organisations to youthful members of the Royal Household.

However in the present day, 24 hours later, she and Prince Philip took off from Buckingham Palace by helicopter

Royal aides had been pressured to cancel plans for them to journey by prepare on the final minute yesterday morning after medical doctors deemed them too unwell to go

Royals: (Left to proper) The Duchess of Cornwall, the Prince of Wales, Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh, and Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at Buckingham Palace a fortnight in the past

In recent times the Queen has begun to make various concessions to her advancing years together with chopping down utterly on lengthy haul journey and getting different family members to undertake investitures on her behalf, which contain her standing on her ft for greater than an hour at a time.

Two years in the past Prince Charles stepped in for his mom at an historical set up ceremony for knights of the Order of the Bathtub at Westminster Abbey after she admitted for the primary time steep flight of steps can be an excessive amount of for her.

And this yr a brief handrail was put in within the steep steps exterior St Paul's Cathedral for the Queen and Prince Philip, 95, to make use of at a service to rejoice the monarch's 90th birthday.

Nevertheless, aides had been at pains yesterday to clarify that the Queen stays very a lot answerable for her temporary as head of state, preferring to explain it as a 'gradual shift in administration'. 

Regardless of their advancing years, the couple seem to stay in good well being and have missed few official engagements lately as a consequence of sickness.

There have been police at King's Lynn station yesterday morning, however the officers later left

No royals right here: The couple stayed at Buckingham Palace as an alternative of going to King's Lynn

The Queen was handled for the signs of gastroenteritis in 2013 and stayed in a single day in a personal hospital being assessed by medical doctors, and cancelled an official journey to Rome.

And in June final yr Buckingham Palace took the bizarre step of confirming the Queen's go to to a personal hospital for a routine medical check-up following hypothesis on social media concerning the state of her well being.

Philip joked about his good well being final month throughout a go to with the Queen to London's Francis Crick Institute - a serious biomedical analysis centre - the place he requested a flu knowledgeable: 'Why have not I had flu for the final 40 years?'

In Might an undisclosed minor ailment pressured the Duke to overlook commemorations marking the anniversary of the First World Battle Battle of Jutland in Orkney.

Royal arrival: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry and Prince George arrive for the Queen's Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday

London is on excessive alert after the phobia assault on a Christmas market in Berlin with street closures in place for the Altering of the Guard in the present day

It comes as London is on excessive alert after the phobia assault on a Christmas market in Berlin with street closures in place for the Altering of the Guard.

One in all Buckingham Palace's most time-honoured traditions was encircled by an additional layer of safety as police stepped up protecting measures.

The roads surrounding the royal grounds emptied and fell quiet as closures had been put in place forward of the day by day Altering of Guard.

The site visitors restrictions had been introduced by the Metropolitan Police after a truck full of metal ploughed right into a market within the German capital, killing 12.

Armed police guarded a further barrier on the mouth of a number of routes which feed on to the Queen Victoria Memorial exterior the Palace's foremost gates.

The tree-lined Structure Hill and The Mall, two of London's most recognisable streets, had been vacant however for a handful of police automobiles.

Vacationers exterior Buckingham Palace wished the Queen properly in the present day. Jodie Inexperienced, 20, from the Isle of Man who's on vacation in London, mentioned: 'She appears to be like like a powerful lady and I believe she's bought extra years in her. I do hope she will get properly quickly.

Selfie: The roads surrounding the royal grounds emptied and fell quiet as closures had been put in place forward of the day by day Altering of Guard

'We had been hoping she may come up onto the balcony, however now I've heard she's unwell I suppose that will not be occurring. Get properly quickly Queen Elizabeth.'

Wills Blake, 21 who's on vacation from Tampa, Florida, together with his father Richard, 45, mentioned: 'We want her a speedy restoration and a merry Christmas from all in Florida.

'The Royal Household are nice folks and if anyone can care for a 90-year-old lady with a chilly then they're going to be right here.'

Richard added: 'It is humorous, I named Wills after Prince William. I believe the Royal Household are very robust and it is wonderful that the Queen hasn't been unwell earlier than.

'We're solely right here for a number of days however we particularly wished to return and see Buckingham Palace.'

Mohammed Khakpour, 79, has lived in Britain for 42 years after transferring from Iran. He mentioned: 'She is an excellent Queen and I want her all the very best.

'She has been performing excellently throughout her reign and her royal duties are extremely necessary for the steadiness of this nation.

'In the mean time I'm not involved concerning the Queen's chilly, I'm assured she has a workforce of medical consultants round her.'

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