Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom has postponed her usual pre-Christmas family gathering next week due to worries over the Omicron strain.

According to the Press Association, a Buckingham Palace insider confirmed the decision to cancel the royal gathering, which has now been postponed for two years in a row.

It is claimed the decision was made as a precaution, with the source stating that if it went ahead, it would jeopardize too many people's Christmas plans.

The Queen continues performing only light tasks, including virtual and in-person audiences, following royal physicians' orders to rest and a night in hospital for testing on October 20. The Queen hosted the Sultan of Oman at Windsor on Wednesday.

The 95-year-old monarch's Christmas meal, which she throws each year for her extended family, was planned entirely at Windsor Castle.

The Queen frequently invites her children, grandkids, and great-grandchildren to join her at Buckingham Palace before departing for her traditional Christmas vacation in Sandringham.

The palace is now undergoing extensive renovations.

The pre-Christmas event provides an opportunity for the head of state to visit with family who cannot come to Norfolk for Christmas Day.

The extended family, which includes the Queen's cousins the Gloucesters, the Duke of Kent, and the Michaels of Kent, is frequently invited.

This is the Queen's first Christmas after the death of her 73-year-old husband, the Duke of Edinburgh.

The Queen and Philip celebrated Christmas Day 2020 at Windsor without the rest of the family after spending most of the year in what was termed HMS Bubble.

She has been performing light responsibilities only since October 20, when health concerns were raised after royal doctors ordered her to rest, and she spent a night in hospital undergoing testing.