Queen Elizabeth II, 93, made her first appearance since Prince Harry, 35, and Duchess Meghan Markle, 38, announced their move to North America. The longest reigning monarch of the United Kingdom was spotted on her Sandringham estate in Norfolk on Jan. 10 behind the wheel of her Land Rover — yes, you read that right. The Queen appeared to have a rather stern look across her visage, as she concentrated on the road and squinted to keep the beaming sun out of her eyes.
The Queen’s sighting comes after a whirlwind week full of major announcements from members of the royal family. On Jan. 8, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made the announcement that they were officially planning to move to North America, after spending the holidays in Canada. “After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution,” the couple began in a statement shared by the official Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s official Instagram account. “We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen.”
The news came as quite a shock to royalists, devotees, and even Buckingham Palace. The Queen, through her palace communications team, released a statement mere moments after Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan announced their move, saying, “Discussions with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are at an early stage. We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that we will take time to work through.”
