The Royal Family has had to make significant changes to the working strategies of senior members due to the restrictions the coronavirus pandemic caused. The Queen saw the majority of her engagements moved online as members of the household do their best to protect her and the public. But Her Majesty was delivered a harsh blow when one of her most powerful tools had to be put aside because of the virus.
Daily Telegraph’s Associated Editor Camilla Tominey said: “It’s interesting to see how the Queen has adapted to her new role, which has had to be effectively virtual.
“This is a woman who throughout her reign, her motto has been, ‘I need to be seen to be believed.’
“That is why the Queen wears bright colours, why if it’s raining she will carry a transparent umbrella. Because she’s always been of the theory that, if people are coming to see her, it might be the first and last time they do so.
“They want to be able to remember it, they want to be able to say, ‘I saw the Queen’. That is why she is so visible and that’s why this pandemic has been so difficult for her to manage.”
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She added: “Ordinarily, we would expect to see her our doing meet and greets and royal walkabouts even in her advancing years.
“That’s been a characteristic of her reign, she’s the most well-travelled monarch in history.
“If the only way the public can see her is in video form, so be it.”
Despite the importance of the royal walkabout for the Queen, 5 News correspondent Simon Vigar revealed earlier this year the custom has often left members of security facing “sleepless nights.”
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George Vi and Mary were among the first members of the Royal Family to establish a connection with the people with regular public walks when on official duty.
The early 20th marked a major change in how the family conducted their relations with the public as the royal couple sought to keep discontent down amid the rise in support for republicanism.
Historian Dr Lucy Worsley said: “The class royal walkabout photo op dates back to 1910, with the arrival of King George V. And it was born out of desperation.
“Son of the camera-loving Alexandra, George was a cautious and conservative figure but he had also seen which way the wind was blowing.
“The early 1900s were a scary time for royalty, the working class was increasingly disaffected.”
Dr Worsley continued: “The king and his advisors came up with a survival strategy that would be amplified through photography. George and Mary toured factories, hospitals, even ordinary people’s homes creating photographic opportunities wherever they went.
“This break with tradition was a watershed in royal relations with their subjects.”
