Queen, Prince Philip bounce back from colds, depart for Sandringham holiday
Crisis over: Queen Elizabeth II and husband Prince Philip departed Thursday by air for their Norfolk estate for their annual Christmas holiday, their "heavy colds" apparently diminished.
Buckingham Palace issued a statement confirming that the royal couple had left the palace and were traveling to Sandringham, their private estate where they spend every Christmas.
The BBC reported they had arrived at the estate via royal helicopter.
The palace did not say when they left or how they traveled, and apparently the media were not able or not allowed to take pictures of their departure as usual.
Reporters at the palace spotted the royal helicopter as it landed on the grounds and departed.
The queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were supposed to have left for Sandringham Wednesday by their usual means, in a roped-off First Class train car on an otherwise ordinary morning train from King's Cross station.
But their plans changed, the palace said Wednesday, because the couple — both in their 90s — developed "heavy colds" between Tuesday, when the queen hosted her annual Christmas lunch for the extended royal family, and Wednesday morning.
Their health improved enough to travel 24 hours later, at least by air and without the scrutiny of the usual royal media mob. If nothing else, the change made for a more secure travel plan in a city on heightened alert following the terrorist attack on a Christmas market in Berlin Monday night — with the attacker still at large.
The expectation is the queen will resume her routine at Sandringham with her close family gathered around, including the exchange of goofy gifts, the traditional family walk to church services on Christmas morning, and a shooting party on Dec. 26, aka Boxing Day in Britain.
One change this year: For the first time since they got married in 2011, Prince William and his wife, Duchess Kate, and their two children, Prince George, 3, and Princess Charlotte, 19 months, // I think she's 19 months now, birthday in May?// are spending Christmas with her parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, on their estate.