After staying for almost 70 years in Buckingham Palace, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II will spend less time in the royal headquarters and make Windsor Castle in west London her principal residence.
Although the Buckingham Palace will remain the royal headquarters, the Queen, who turns 80 next week, will make Windsor Castle in west London her principal residence to reduce her official engagements, a media report said on Saturday.
Almost 70 years later the Queen, who moved to the palace in 1937 as a young Princess on the abdication of Edward VIII, has decided to reduce her stay at the Palace to a few days midweek.
She will always be there on Tuesdays for her audience with the Prime Minister, but sometimes she will be at the Palace as little as two days a week to preside over investitures and meetings with foreign dignitaries.
The Queen has been living in the royal palace uninterrupted since 1937 with the exception of the Second World War.
Aides emphasised that the change of routine should not be seen as the Queen's retreating from public life but as adapting to a pace of life more suitable to a woman entering her ninth decade.
{{/usCountry}}Aides emphasised that the change of routine should not be seen as the Queen's retreating from public life but as adapting to a pace of life more suitable to a woman entering her ninth decade.
{{/usCountry}}The Queen has already slowed down, carrying out 378 engagements last year compared with 509 in 1996.
"There is an acknowledgement that the Queen has turned 80 and so things have to be paced more appropriately," the paper quoted a Palace spokewoman as saying
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will absorb more of the Queen's official duties.