Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II has cancelled all her appointments for the next few months and is set to leave Buckingham Palace tomorrow, amid the coronavirus outbreak which has claimed 71 lives in the country.

The Queen, who turns 94 next month, was to host a series of garden parties and Easter related events but will now spend time indoors in Windsor, in consultation with her medical experts and the UK government.

Her regular audiences with Prime Minister Boris Johnson are set to continue for now but the palace said that as a sensible precaution and for practical reasons, a number of other changes are being made to the rest of her diary.

The annual Maundy Service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor ahead of Good Friday next month will not go ahead.

Other events, including a planned State Visit by the Emperor and Empress of Japan, in the coming months will also be reassessed.