The Queen to miss Balmoral church visit due to Covid-19 spike
Bang Showbiz
https://www.msn.com/en-xl/entertainment/news/the-queen-to-miss-balmoral-church-visit-due-to-covid-19-spike/ar-BB17IIAl?ocid=msedgdhp
Queen Elizabeth II will not be carrying out her annual tradition of visiting Crathie Kirk church in Balmoral, amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The 94-year-old monarch and her husband, The Duke of Edinburgh, 99, jetted off to Aberdeenshire this week for their vacation in Scotland.
And now, it's been reported by The Sun newspaper that Her Majesty will be missing out on a trip to the church as they don't want to risk large crowds gathering outside the place of worship as lockdown has been reimposed in Aberdeen, due to a spike in cases of Covid-19.
A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace said it "will be in line with the relevant guidelines and advice".
The Queen and Prince Philip's Balmoral stay comes after she had a private lunch with Princess Anne at Frogmore House to celebrate her daughter's upcoming 70th birthday.
The Princess Royal turns the milestone age on August 15, and the head of the British Royal Family met her daughter for a special socially distanced feast with just the two of them and a small number of The Queen's staff from her "bubble" at Buckingham Palace present at the residence on her Berkshire estate.
A source claimed it's "rare but not unheard of" for royals to use the usually empty building for "special occasions".
Frogmore is also a more private location for the pair to meet.
Last month, The Queen attended Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi's wedding at Windsor Castle.
Meanwhile, Philip attended his first royal engagement for more than a year on July 22.
The royal retired from his official duties back in August 2017, but he broke his retirement in Windsor to formally hand over his position as Colonel-in-Chief of the Rifles Regiment to the Duchess of Cornwall.
The Duke held the Colonel-in-Chief role since 2007, when The Rifles were formed, but he has served in a similar role for different regiments since 1953.
Crathie Kirk
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crathie_Kirk
Crathie Kirk is a small Church of Scotland parish church in the Scottish village of Crathie, best known for being the regular place of worship of the British Royal Family when they are in residence at the nearby Balmoral Castle.
Crathie Kirk is now united with neighbouring Braemar to form a single parish with two places of worship. Eventually this parish will be further enlarged to include Glenmuick (Ballater). The minister (since 2005) is the Reverend Kenneth Mackenzie. Mackenzie was previously minister of the Church of Scotland congregation in Budapest, Hungary (1999–2005).
Queen Victoria donated two stained glass windows which commemorate author and social reformer Reverend Norman MacLeod, and endowed the kirk's Father Willis organ.
Victoria's highland servant John Brown is buried in the churchyard.
Princess Beatrice, the youngest daughter of Queen Victoria, donated four bells which continue to hang in the belltower.
Edward VII donated two marble medallions commemorating his brother Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and sister Victoria, Princess Royal and Empress Frederick.
Edward's son George V donated a communion table dedicated to the memory of his father. This was made from white marble quarried on the island of Iona, the site of Columba's monastery.
Elizabeth II donated a Bible decorated with the royal coat of arms.
Photograph of Crathie Church (Crathie Kirk), Scotland
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crathie_Kirk#/media/File:CrathieKirk01.jpg