During this unprecedented time, the most important thing to the Hofdames is that all of our Handbaggers remain safe and healthy. We know many people will be busy and distracted, so we expect that our comments will be fewer as people sort out complicated aspects of their new daily lives. We’ll still be here!
Our intent is, as always, to provide an entertaining diversion. In that vein, we will continue to post royal content. Since there will be far fewer events, there will also be fewer posts. We will rely on our Rotogravurer, LiL, for some fun throwbacks. Also, if any Handbagger has an idea for a pop quiz or some past event that needs revisiting, drop a note in these comments.
We are going to corrall the next few weeks and months of cancellations for the royal houses in this post. Please feel free to add any cancellations or rescheduling you are aware of in the comments, but let’s not get involved in conversation in general about the crisis.
Belgium
- Crown Princess Elisabeth will remain in Wales until travel between the countries is allowed.
Bhutan
- Public gatherings have been cancelled and tourism curtailed. The royals have no scheduled events on their calendar.
Britain
- The Queen’s visits to Camden and Cheshire will be rescheduled. The British government has recommended self-isolation for those over seventy, which could potentially affect the Queen and other senior members of the family.
- The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall’s spring tour to Bosnia, Herzegovina, Jordan and Cyprus has been postponed. Date TBD.
- The Countess of Wessex has been ill with a non-Corona virus related illness and all upcoming engagements have been cancelled.
- The London Marathon, with a scheduled appearance by Prince Harry, has been postponed until October.
Denmark
- Denmark has temporarily closed all borders and airports. Only Danish citizens are allowed to enter the country.
- All official engagements up to April 20, 2020, have been cancelled or postponed. This includes Queen Margrethe’s 80th Birthday celebrations, which have been postponed. Dates TBD.
- The Crown Prince and his family have returned to Denmark from Switzerland. The children will attend school at home. Danish schools are currently closed.
Luxembourg
- The Grand Duke and Duchess have continued with a scaled back program of engagements.
Monaco
- The Rose Ball, scheduled for the 21st, has been cancelled. Will be rescheduled to a later, unannounced date.
Netherlands
- The King and Queen have cancelled or postponed all remaining engagements for the month of March.
Norway
- All official engagements up to April 12, 2020, have been cancelled or postponed. Norway itself has closed all airports and borders for the time being.
- The King and Queen are in quarantine after returning from abroad.
Spain
- The King and Queen have been tested for the virus, and their health has been cleared.
Sweden
- Crown Princess Victoria’s Name Day celebrations have been cancelled.
We’ll keep updating this post as more information becomes available.
