An early stop-in at Sandringham

The Queen & Prince Philip Leaving Balmoral For Surprise Destination Next Week

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip will soon conclude their annual holiday at Balmoral Castle. Next week, the royals will leave the Scottish Highlands for the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk. Read on to learn the full plan for Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh in the coming months — including details on Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace.

The Queen and Prince Philip face a busy few months of travel ahead.

Official word has confirmed that the royals will end their stay at Balmoral Castle sometime next week. But rather than return to Buckingham Palace—as Queen Elizabeth II normally does after her summer holiday—she and the Duke of Edinburgh will head to the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, before again relocating to Windsor Castle in October.

The Queen & Prince Philip to exit Balmoral Castle after Sept. 14

On Sept. 8, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson released a statement on the Queen's plans for the coming months. "The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will depart Balmoral Castle during the week commencing 14 September to spend time privately on the Sandringham Estate," the statement began, as reported by Hello!

"Subject to the finalisation of the autumn programme, Her Majesty's intention is to return to Windsor Castle in October and to resume the use of Buckingham Palace for selected audiences and engagements. These plans will be kept under review and will of course be subject to all relevant guidance and advice."

The statement confirms that the Queen's record-long absence from Buckingham Palace will continue, seemingly for the remainder of 2020, at least. She's been away from her London residence since moving to lockdown, originally at Windsor Castle, in March.

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The Queen is heading to Sandringham in the fall?

The news of a September stay at Sandringham House is out of the norm for the royals. The Norfolk estate typically serves as the Queen's Christmas and winter holiday residence.

The mid-September move to Sandringham will bring an end to the Queen and Prince Philip's 2020 Balmoral stay after around six weeks, having arrived there on Aug. 4. The news also comes after Sandringham announced the screening of drive-in movies on the property earlier this month.