Queen advised to cancel garden party over coronavirus fears but vows to carry on with royal duties
THE Queen is determined not to let the coronavirus outbreak stop her carrying out duties after vowing to attend royal engagements.
The monarch, 93, has been advised to cancel her garden party in May by Whitehall officials but will still attend the Commonwealth Day service in Westminster Abbey, later today.
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A congregation of 2,000 is expected to attend Commonwealth Day service including the Queen, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and the Earl and Countess of Wessex.
They will be joined by representatives from 54 Commonwealth countries despite spread fears.
Government officials are currently working out the best way to protect the Royal Family from the outbreak of the deadly virus.
Should the bug spread, the Queen could be relocated to either Sandringham or Balmoral to limit the risk of infection.
It has also been alleged that she may have to cancel her May garden party if the outbreak worsens.
But in the meantime, the monarch is continuing to persevere with her royal duties and sources say that nothing will change.
One source told the MailOnline: "The Queen didn’t change her schedule during the swine flu outbreak and has never changed her schedule after terrorist attacks. It’s business as usual."
They added: "It is thought that if the Queen or other senior members of the Royal Family were to self-isolate or change their plans it might spark panic in the general population."
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Last week, the Queen took precautions against the coronavirus as she wore gloves during the investitures ceremony.
While the royal often does wear gloves for outings, she does not normally wear them for the investiture ceremonies held at Buckingham Palace.
In fact, just two weeks ago the Queen was pictured at another investiture ceremony at the palace without gloves.
One of the last times she performed a knighting ceremony wearing gloves was in 1954 when she recognised Air Marshal Claude Pelly with a knighthood in Yemen.
The apparent extra precautions come after Public Health England said shaking hands won't spread the virus but people will need to wash their hands regularly.
Buckingham Palace refused to comment but said they were following government advice in the response to coronavirus fears.
Cases of coronavirus have topped 209 in the UK as ministers feared the death toll could reach 100,000 in the UK.
The alarming new rates come after an 88-year-old man yesterday became the second coronavirus death in the UK.
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He had been admitted to Milton Keynes Hospital with pneumonia on March 3 and was described as "somebody older" who had "underlying health conditions".
It is understood the pensioner had visited several countries on a dream Caribbean cruise and officials are now scrambling to contact others he had been in contact with.
