Queen’s emotional 96th birthday visit to Sandringham in honour of Prince Philip

The Queen will celebrate her birthday by making a return to a place close to her heart.

The Queen will celebrate her 96th birthday this week by making an emotional return to her Sandringham estate in honour of her beloved late husband Prince Philip.

Her Majesty will travel from her Windsor Castle home to the royal family’s Sandringham estate in Norfolk on Thursday.

The Queen pictured at Sandringham House to mark the start of her Platinum Jubilee Year last February. Picture: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

The monarch will stay at Wood Farm, a modest cottage on the edge of the Sandringham estate, where Prince Philip retired to in 2017.

The unflappable Duke of Edinburgh worked hard to transform the Sandringham estate into an organic farm and took great pride in managing the grounds until it was taken over by Prince Charles.

The grand house of four levels and more than 360 rooms which is the centrepoint of the Sandringham estate. Picture: AAP

Prince Philip lived at Sandringham for three years before the pandemic forced royal courtiers to urge him to move to Windstor Castle.

He died at Windsor Castle on April 9, 2021 at the age of 99.

The Queen is expected to be joined by members of the royal family at Sandringham over the weekend to celebrate her birthday.

Royal sources are viewing the Queen’s “mini-break” as a “positive step” that she is prepared to make the journey despite her ongoing mobility issues.

The royals have long loved Sandringham with the Christmas service, picured here in 2017, a favourite. Picture: Adrian Dennis / AFP

It comes after Buckingham Palace was forced to overhaul how the Queen approaches public appearances for health reasons..

In a major change to the way the monarch handles royal engagements, royal aides will now confirm Her Majesty’s attendance on the day of an event.

The public, a Palace source told The Mail On Sunday, must now start assuming the Queen will not be attending public events.

The Queen leaves Sandringham House last February after a reception with representatives from local community groups to celebrate the start of the Platinum Jubilee. Picture: Joe Giddens - by WPA Pool/Getty Images

A royal source told The Mirror: “The Queen decided very recently that on her birthday she wanted to be as close as possible to her late husband and in an environment that was very close to both of their hearts.Sandringham holds so many special memories for the Queen and Prince Philip as well as the rest of the royal family.

“It’s certainly a positive step that Her Majesty is feeling well enough and rested to enjoy her upcoming mini-break which she thoroughly deserves to celebrate her birthday.”

Originally published as Queen’s emotional 96th birthday visit to Sandringham in honour of Prince Philip