The 95-year-old reigning monarch suffered some health setbacks toward the end of 2021.
While 2022 is an important and historic year for Queen Elizabeth II, the longest reigning British monarch has recently suffered several health setbacks and has not been seen out publicly since October 2021.
With planning for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee underway for June 2022, the 95-year-old monarch continues to stay out of the spotlight for the most part.
"We understand the monarch very much wants to get back to work, but I think it's going to be a case of making sure she really has made a full and complete recovery before courtiers start packing up her busy work schedule," royal expert Katie Nicholl told ET. "My understanding is that, at the moment, it is just about carrying out light desk work at Windsor [Castle], more virtual audiences and meetings and really making sure that the queen is in tip-top health ahead of her June jubilee celebrations."
Nicholl added that plans for the Jubilee are "absolutely going ahead." On Monday, it was announced by Buckingham Palace that the search for the "perfect Platinum Pudding recipe" has been launched for United Kingdom residents ages eight and up in honor of Queen Elizabeth.
Prior to the New Year, Queen Elizabeth gave her annual Christmas Day broadcast from Windsor Castle for the second year in a row, foregoing her annual holiday tradition of traveling to her Sandringham Estate.
It's been a difficult few months for Her Highness, as she has canceled several events and trips due to her health. Back in October, she spent a night in the hospital for observations and tests, and in November, she missed the annual Remembrance Day service after spraining her back.
Due to the widespread coronavirus omicron variant, the queen additionally canceled her family's annual pre-Christmas lunch and opted for significantly scaled down holiday plans.
Nicholl noted that this "is essentially a really important year for the queen."
"This is a Platinum Jubilee year -- this June, she will celebrate 70 years on the throne," she said. "And yet there are storm clouds which do seem to be threatening to overshadow what should be a year of celebration for the queen."
For more with Queen Elizabeth, check out the clip below.
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