Queen to stay at Philip cottage for birthday

The monarch has flown by helicopter from Windsor Castle to her Sandringham home after an eventful Easter break that saw the Duke and Duchess of Sussex visit her.

Harry has said his grandmother was “on great f orm” when they met before he and wife Meghan travelled to Holland for the Invictus Games.

But he pointedly added he wanted to make sure she was “protected” and had “the right people around her”, but did not elaborate in NBC’s ‘Today’ show interview whether he was referring to palace aides or the royal family.

The Queen has been experiencing mobility issues in recent months and has cancelled appearances at a number of high-profile events, but she did attend Philip’s memorial service and has continued carrying out her duties of state and hosting virtual events.

She will celebrate her 96th birthday today and is likely to be visited by family and friends in the coming days.

It is thought the monarch will stay at the Duke of Edinburgh’s cottage Wood Farm while at Sandringham, a property she said her late husband “loved” and part of its attraction was because the “sea was so close”.

The Queen commented on the property when she hosted a rare public event at Sandringham on February 5, the eve of her Platinum Jubilee.

Teresa Thompson, 70, the retired housekeeper of Wood Farm, said after chatting to the Queen that day: “All the royal family love Wood Farm, because it’s out of the way, it’s small, It’s intimate. You haven’t got lots of officials and household, it’s just the close staff.”

Meanwhile, the Duke of Sussex has said he does not know if he will return to the UK to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, saying there are “security issues and everything else”.

Interviewed by American network NBC, Harry also suggested his grandmother might be “bored” of birthdays.

Asked about his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, Harry said he felt her “presence” in everything he did, and talked to his son Archie about “Grandma Diana”.

Asked to name the best thing about his grandmother, Harry replied: “Her sense of humour and her ability to see humour in so many different silly things. We have a really special relationship, we talk about things that she can’t talk about with anybody else.”