The Queen and Prince Philip are in COVID-19 lockdown at Windsor Castle, along with 22 members of staff who have said goodbye to their families during isolation.
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The lockdown measures were put in place to protect the Queen, 94, and Philip, 98, who could face increased complications if they were to catch coronavirus.
While staff have sacrificed time with their own families, serving the Queen during isolation has been compared with a long deployment at sea where sailors are separated from their loved ones for several months, according to a leaked memo.
The Sun reports that a morale-boosting message was sent to royal staff by the Master of the Household, Tony Johnstone-Burt, who is a former Royal Navy officer.
He explained to staff they were doing their duty by protecting the Queen and even jokingly named quarantine ‘HMS Bubble’.
“There are 22 Royal Household staff inside the Bubble, and it struck me that our predicament is not dissimilar to my former life in the Royal Navy on a long overseas deployment,” the ex-Navy officer wrote.
“Indeed, the challenges that we are facing whether self-isolating alone at home, or with our close household and families, have parallels with being at sea away from home for many months, and having to deal with a sense of dislocation, anxiety and uncertainty.”
In the uplifting message to staff, Mr Johnstone-Burt said: “I’m sure that we shall emerge as a stronger, more considerate and more resilient Royal Household team as a result and able to do our duty for the Queen.”
An insider told The Sun that the priority was to safeguard the good health of the Monarch and her consort.
“They won’t be seeing their families because no risks can be taken and they can’t go in and out,” the source said. “The most important thing is to protect the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh from the virus.
“If something happened to them it doesn’t bear thinking about.”
The term “HMS bubble” reportedly amused both the Queen and Philip, who himself served in the Navy where he was nicknamed ‘Big Bubble’, The Sun revealed along with the memo.
Meanwhile, the Queen and Philip are dealing with having to spend weeks under the same roof, for the first time in a long time, as they usually live apart.
Her Majesty, The Queen usually resides in Buckingham Palace, while Philip prefers to live at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, where he has spent most of his time since he retired in 2017.
Philip is said to enjoy much quieter pursuits at the farm, such as reading and painting watercolours.
