Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Duke of Edinburgh today put off their annual Christmas travel plans as the royal couple has caught "heavy colds".
The couple, both in their 90s, annually take a train out of London to get to their country estate Sandringham in Norfolk on December 21, which marks the Winter Solstice and official start of winter in the UK.
But this year the tradition had to be broken due to the duo's ill health.
"The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh have heavy colds, and so have decided not to travel to Sandringham today," a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said.
The Queen and Prince Philip normally take the same first-class service every year from the British capital to King's Lynn station, from where theytravel on to the royal estate in the East Anglia region of England.
The couple hosted a festive lunch for the royal family yesterday - a tradition they carry out before travelling to their private estate each year.
Prince William was seen arriving with wife Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, and brother Prince Harry and three-year-old Prince George.
The decision to cancel the 90-year-old monarch's Christmas travel plans came a day after Buckingham Palace had announced that she would be stepping down from being patron of 25 charities.
Her patronages will be handed over to other members of the Royal Family, with Kate getting the role of patron of Wimbledon.
The change in plans also coincides with Scotland Yard's announcement that it will be closing roads around Buckingham Palace for the Changing of the Guard ceremony, one of London's top tourist attractions.
The decision follows a UK-wide anti-terror security review.
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