Queen Elizabeth cancels diplomatic reception in wake of Russia-Ukraine crisis

Queen Elizabeth earlier this week cancelled a diplomatic reception on the advice of the UK’s Foreign Secretary as the Russian invasion of Ukraine continued to worsen.

According to People magazine, the British royal family were set to welcome over 500 members of the diplomatic corps to the Windsor Castle on March 2 before the postponement was announced.

The official announcement came from Buckingham Palace on Saturday, with a statement saying, “The Queen has accepted the Foreign Secretary's advice that the Diplomatic Reception at Windsor on Wednesday 2nd March should be postponed.”

Russia invaded Ukraine earlier this week, with increasing threat to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, a city of 2.8 million people.

The postponement also comes after a series of other cancellations on the behalf of the Queen, owing to her recent COVID diagnosis; the Queen tested positive just days after her son, Prince Charles, recovering from a second bout of the virus.