The Queen today carried out her first official engagements since she faced a Covid scare, with the 95-year-old monarch holding two virtual audiences from Windsor Castle with the Estonian and Spanish ambassadors.
Concern has mounted for her health after she met with eldest son Prince Charles last Tuesday, two days before he tested positive for coronavirus last Thursday. Then, yesterday, it was revealed that Camilla had also caught Covid.
Buckingham Palace officials have continued to refuse to confirm whether the Queen has tested positive or negative for Covid, citing medical privacy, and saying last week only that she was not displaying any symptoms.
The monarch will have taken daily lateral flow tests over the past seven days, in keeping with current guidelines, and will have been closely monitored by her royal physicians. But Buckingham Palace has insisted the Queen’s health status in relation to coronavirus is a private medical matter and as such she is entitled to privacy.
The Queen is expected to continue with her diary of engagements at Windsor Castle this week, carrying out video calls with ambassadors and dignitaries and making her way through her daily red box of correspondence.
Queen Elizabeth II appears on a screen via videolink from Windsor Castle, where she is in residence, during a virtual audience to receive the Ambassador of Estonia, Viljar Lubi, at Buckingham Palace, London. Picture date: Tuesday February 15, 2022
Queen Elizabeth II appears on a screen via videolink from Windsor Castle, where she is in residence, during a virtual audience to receive the Ambassador of Estonia, Viljar Lubi (centre), and Maarja Junti at Buckingham Palace, London. Picture date: Tuesday February 15, 2022
Queen Elizabeth II appears on a screen via videolink from Windsor Castle, where she is in residence, during a virtual audience to receive the Ambassador of Spain, José Pascual Marco Martínez (centre), and Géraldine Dufort at Buckingham Palace, London. Picture date: Tuesday February 15, 2022
Today, the Queen was wearing a floral dress and could be seen on screen as she spoke by Cisco video link with the Estonian ambassador to the UK Viljar Lubi, who travelled to Buckingham Palace for his audience.
The monarch, seated in her Oak Room sitting room, has spent most of the pandemic at Windsor, where she was cared for in lockdown in ‘HMS Bubble’, the nickname given to her reduced household of dedicated staff.
It is the first time the Queen has been photographed, albeit on a screen, since she reached her historic Platinum Jubilee milestone, and endorsed her daughter-in-law Camilla to be known as Queen when Charles becomes King.
Mr Lubi presented his credentials and his predecessor’s letters of recall to the Queen, placing them on an antique wooden table in front of the monitor. He was accompanied by Maarja Junti, who was also received by the Queen.
Also today, Spanish ambassador Jose Pascual Marco Martinez, who was dressed in diplomatic uniform, presented his letters of credence at the second audience. He was accompanied by his wife Geraldine Dufort.
It comes after Camilla, 74, yesterday tested positive for Covid days after Charles. Clarence House confirmed she had caught the virus for the first time – four days after the Prince of Wales tested positive for the second time.
Queen Elizabeth II appears on a screen via videolink from Windsor Castle, where she is in residence, during a virtual audience to receive the Ambassador of Estonia, Viljar Lubi at Buckingham Palace, London. Picture date: Tuesday February 15, 2022
Queen Elizabeth II appears on a screen via videolink from Windsor Castle, where she is in residence, during a virtual audience to receive the Ambassador of Estonia, Viljar Lubi, at Buckingham Palace, London. Picture date: Tuesday February 15, 2022
It came after the pair had carried out a series of official visits last week, with the duchess going to a sexual assault referral centre and community kitchen in London. She also attended a British Museum event with Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary Priti Patel.
Concerns for the Queen, 95, first arose after it emerged she had been in direct contact with Charles two days before he tested positive on Thursday of last week.
Aides at Buckingham Palace and Clarence House declined yesterday to give a ‘running commentary’ on the health of the Queen and the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall.
They did not reveal whether Charles and Camilla were isolating together on Valentine’s Day.
The Duchess of Cornwall is triple-vaccinated and initially tested negative when her husband – also triple-vaccinated – received a positive result on a routine lateral flow test prior to a statue unveiling in Winchester to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. He is not understood to have been showing any symptoms.
Queen Elizabeth II appears on a screen via videolink from Windsor Castle, where she is in residence, during a virtual audience to receive the Ambassador of Spain, José Pascual Marco Martínez, at Buckingham Palace, London. Picture date: Tuesday February 15, 2022
Queen Elizabeth II appears on a screen via videolink from Windsor Castle, where she is in residence, during a virtual audience to receive the Ambassador of Spain, José Pascual Marco Martínez (centre), and Géraldine Dufort at Buckingham Palace, London. Picture date: Tuesday February 15, 2022
After receiving the news, Camilla said she had ‘luckily’ returned a negative test and continued with a series of public engagements while Charles was forced to self-isolate.
Speaking during a visit to Thames Valley Partnership in Buckinghamshire later that day, the duchess said of her testing regime: ‘I’ve taken it so many times.’
But there remain fears over the health of the Queen after she was visited by Charles at Windsor Castle last Tuesday when he carried out an investiture on her behalf. It was the first time he had seen her since Christmas Day.
A source last week said the Queen was not displaying any symptoms following Charles’ positive result but added that their meeting was ‘recently enough to be relevant.’
Charles and Camilla spent the evening together on Wednesday at a British Asian Trust event where they were photographed mask-free alongside Mr Sunak and Miss Patel. Charles, 73, tested positive the following morning.
The Duchess pf Cornwall continued with her programme of engagements towards the end of last week, sporting a mask when she visited community kitchen the Nourish Hub, in west London, on Thursday afternoon.
The Duchess of Cornwall during her visit to the West London ‘Nourish Hub’ last Thursday, on the day Charles tested positive
Charles and Camilla at a British Asian Trust event at the British Museum last Wednesday. Charles tested positive the next day
There, she spoke for the first time in public since the announcement that she will become Queen Consort when Charles accedes to the throne. Asked how she felt about it, Camilla said she was ‘honoured and very touched.’
Camilla also wore a mask for some of her visit to Paddington Haven, a sexual assault referral centre in west London, the same day.
According to government guidelines, when Charles tested positive, Camilla was not required to self-isolate because she was fully-vaccinated.
Organisations visited by Camilla and those in attendance have now been informed of her positive result and the charities have begun contacting any people who were in close contact.
The Queen’s last official engagement before today was with the Prime Minister on Wednesday evening of last week. No further engagements had been planned over the weekend.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said today: ‘Her Majesty The Queen today conducted two virtual Audiences via video link from Windsor Castle.
‘His Excellency Mr. Viljar Lubi was received in audience by The Queen via video link today and presented the Letters of Recall of his predecessor and his own Letters of Credence as Ambassador from the Republic of Estonia to the Court of St. James’s. Ms. Maarja Junti was also received by Her Majesty.
‘Her Excellency Mr. José Pascual Marco Martínez was received in audience by The Queen via video link this afternoon and presented the Letters of Recall of his predecessor and his own Letters of Credence as Ambassador from the Kingdom of Spain to the Court of St. James’s. Mrs Géraldine Dufort was also received by Her Majesty.’
And a Clarence House spokesman said yesterday: ‘Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall has tested positive for Covid-19 and is self-isolating. We continue to follow government guidelines.’
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