Queen Elizabeth II, 95, tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday but has only ‘mild’ symptoms, Buckingham Palace has announced, rekindling concerns over the most famous monarch’s health of the planet.
The sovereign, who has just passed the milestone of 70 years of reign, a record for the British monarchy, had met her son Prince Charles on February 8, two days before he tested positive.
“Buckingham Palace confirms that the Queen tested positive for COVID-19 today,” he said in a statement.
“Her Majesty has symptoms similar to those of a cold but expects to continue during the coming week light duties in Windsor”, castle of which she has made her main place of residence since the start of the pandemic, adds the text, thus being reassuring about his state of health.
“She will continue to receive medical supervision and will follow all appropriate recommendations,” he continues.
According to British media, the queen, who will turn 96 on April 21, is triple vaccinated, as are her son and his wife, Camilla, who also tested positive recently.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who had spent several days in intensive care in the spring of 2020 with COVID-19, wished him on Twitter a “speedy recovery and a speedy return to vibrant good health”.
Health Minister Sajid Javid also wished the Queen a “speedy recovery”, as did Home Secretary Priti Patel, adding “God save the Queen” (“May God save the Queen”, an expression which is also the title of the British anthem).
“Get well quickly, Madam,” tweeted opposition Labor leader Keir Starmer.
Since a hospitalization for one night in October, for a reason never specified, the appearances of the sovereign have become rare. But the palace recently announced a resumption of its public activities: before a ceremony on March 29 at Westminster Abbey in memory of Prince Philip, her husband who died last year, the queen is expected to attend a diplomatic reception in Windsor. on March 2 and at a Commonwealth ceremony on March 14.
Since her interview with her son, the Queen had notably made a public engagement in person last Wednesday, receiving Major General Eldon Millar, responsible for liaising between the Queen and the armed forces, and his predecessor, Rear Admiral James Macleod. , at Windsor Castle, about forty kilometers from London, the main place of residence of the sovereign.
Platinum Jubilee
A video of the meeting showed her welcoming the two soldiers standing, smiling, wearing a patterned dress, with a cane in her hands. “As you can see, I can’t move,” she said pointing to her left foot or leg.
This appearance of the queen had given a signal likely to calm concerns about her state of health, particularly scrutinized since her night in the hospital in the fall for “preliminary” examinations, the nature of which has never since been specified.
On Tuesday, she received by videoconference the new ambassadors of Estonia and Spain.
The services of Prince Charles, 73, announced on February 10 that the heir to the British crown had tested positive for COVID – for the second time – and that he was in isolation. He had met his mother 48 hours earlier.
The monarch’s entourage then indicated that she had no symptoms, without saying whether she had been tested positive or negative, fueling concern.
On Monday February 14, Camilla, 74, wife of Prince Charles, announced that she had also caught COVID-19.
Queen Elizabeth passed the milestone of 70 years of reign on February 6, an unprecedented longevity for the British monarchy. Four days of festivities are planned to celebrate its platinum jubilee.