The Queen, 95, gets back to work at Windsor Castle

The Queen held an in-person audience at Windsor Castle today just hours after her son Prince Andrew settled his sexual assault lawsuit, meeting the official liaison between the sovereign and the Armed Services.

The monarch, who already had the official engagement set in her diary, met the incoming Defence Services Secretary Major General Eldon Millar and his predecessor Rear Admiral James Macleod in the Berkshire castle.

It is the 95-year-old head of state’s first in-person appearance since her Covid scare six days ago, suggesting she may have escaped the virus despite coming into contact with Prince Charles, who tested positive two days later.

It has been a challenging week for the Queen, despite having just reached her Platinum Jubilee, and the royal family, with her second son Andrew facing a multi-million pound payout after settling his sex case out of court.

Meanwhile her eldest son Charles and his wife Camilla both caught Covid-19 and now the Metropolitan Police has launched an investigation into a cash for honours scandal involving Charles’s charitable foundation.

Buckingham Palace has continued to refuse to confirm whether the Queen tested positive or negative for coronavirus, 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. It is also not known whether she has self-isolated.

Today’s meeting came after she carried out her first official engagements yesterday since her coronavirus scare, although these were only virtual audiences from Windsor Castle with the Estonian and Spanish ambassadors.

The Queen at an audience at Windsor Castle today where she met the incoming and outgoing Defence Service Secretaries

Queen Elizabeth II with Rear Admiral James Macleod (right) and Major General Eldon Millar (centre) at Windsor Castle today

Queen Elizabeth II with Rear Admiral James Macleod (centre) and Major General Eldon Millar (right) at Windsor Castle today

Today, in her Oak Room sitting room at her Berkshire castle, the Queen wore a floral dress as she greeted Major General Millar on assuming his appointment, and his predecessor Rear Admiral Macleod on relinquishing his role.

The Defence Services Secretary is a member of the Royal Household, and they are the official link between the Queen and the Secretary of State for Defence and the Chiefs of Staff on all matters concerning the monarch’s relationship with the armed forces.

‘Cash-for-honours’ probe after Charles and ex-aide were reported to police

The Metropolitan Police have launched an investigation into an alleged cash-for-honours scandal after the Prince of Wales and his former close confidant were reported to police over the claims.

The pressure group Republic contacted Scotland Yard last September and reported both the future king and Michael Fawcett, Charles’s former royal valet, on suspicion of breaching the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925.

At the time Clarence House said the prince had ‘no knowledge’ of the alleged cash-for-honours scandal.

Mr Fawcett, who has since resigned as chief executive of Charles’s charitable body The Prince’s Foundation, was accused of promising to help secure a knighthood and British citizenship for a Saudi billionaire donor.

Scotland Yard said in a statement: ‘The Metropolitan Police Service has launched an investigation into allegations of offences under the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925.

‘The decision follows an assessment of a September 2021 letter. This related to media reporting alleging offers of help were made to secure honours and citizenship for a Saudi national.

‘The Special Enquiry Team has conducted the assessment process which has included contacting those believed to hold relevant information.

‘Officers liaised with The Prince’s Foundation about the findings of an independent investigation into fundraising practices. The foundation provided a number of relevant documents.

‘These documents were reviewed alongside existing information. The assessment determined an investigation will commence.

‘There have been no arrests or interviews under caution.’

Charles is president of the foundation but not involved with its governance, with the charity’s trustees overseeing its day-to-day activities.

Clarence House reiterated its previous statement: ‘The Prince of Wales had no knowledge of the alleged offer of honours or British citizenship on the basis of donation to his charities.’

A Buckingham Palace spokesman told MailOnline today: ‘Rear Admiral James Macleod was received by The Queen this afternoon upon relinquishing his appointment as Defence Services Secretary. Major General Eldon Millar was received by The Queen upon assuming his appointment as Defence Services Secretary.’

And ITV royal editor Chris Ship tweeted: ‘The Queen has held an audience in Windsor with outgoing and incoming Defence Services Secretaries.

‘Beforehand, she would have read this morning’s coverage of her son Prince Andrew’s settlement with his accuser and been informed of the police probe into Prince Charles’ charity.’

There would have be much for Major General Millar to discuss with the Queen, in the wake of Andrew losing his military titles.

Andrew agreed an undisclosed out-of-court settlement with Virginia Giuffre yesterday, after she sued him claiming she was trafficked by paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, Andrew’s friend, to have sex with the royal when she was 17 and a minor under US law.

The Duke, who is facing a reported £12million payout, was stripped of his honorary military roles by his mother last month.

But his royal replacements in eight British regiments – including the prestigious post of Colonel of the Grenadier Guards – have yet to be announced.

Questions are also being raised over his service rank of Vice Admiral, but Buckingham Palace confirmed the situation has not changed and that the duke retains the rank.

As a former royal member of the armed forces who served in the Royal Navy, he was by convention promoted in line with his still-serving peers and made Vice Admiral by the Navy on his 55th birthday in 2015.

Other publicly unresolved issues surrounding the monarchy and the armed forces include the Duke of Sussex’s former military titles.

Harry’s previous roles – Captain General of the Royal Marines, Honorary Air Force Commandant of the Royal Air Force Base Honington and Honorary Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Naval Commands’ Small Ships and Diving – have yet to be officially announced as having been passed on to other members of the family.

The Defence Services Secretary is on a three-year rotation.

The last time a new holder took on the appointment in 2019, the Queen held an audience with the incoming secretary, Rear Admiral Macleod, and the outgoing Air Vice-Marshal Garry Tunnicliffe.

But six days later, Andrew, in his role as Vice Admiral, received both of the military men at Buckingham Palace, in an official engagement recorded in the Court Circular in April 2019.

There will be no such audience in the wake of the Queen’s meeting. The duke, who no longer uses his HRH style, does not carry out public duties, having been cast adrift from the monarchy as a result of the lawsuit.

YESTERDAY — Queen Elizabeth II appears on a screen via videolink from Windsor Castle in Berkshire where she is in residence

YESTERDAY — The Queen appears on a screen via videolink from Windsor Castle in Berkshire during a virtual audience to receive the Ambassador of Estonia, Viljar Lubi (centre), and Maarja Junti (left) at Buckingham Palace in London

YESTERDAY — The Queen receives the Ambassador of Spain, José Pascual Marco Martínez (centre), and Géraldine Dufort (left)

It comes after Camilla, 74, on Monday 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.

Andrew facing renewed calls to lose Dukedom

The Duke of York is facing a renewed call to give up one of his last remaining major titles after agreeing to settle the civil sex assault claim against him for what is widely reported to be a multimillion-pound sum.

Andrew, whose status as a member of the royal family was left in tatters last month after the Queen stripped him of his honorary military roles and he gave up his HRH style, has been urged to show ‘respect’ by now losing his dukedom.

The Queen’s second son ‘regrets his association’ with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, a letter submitted to the United States District Court stated.

The royal has agreed to make a ‘substantial donation’ to his accuser Virginia Giuffre’s charity after the pair agreed an undisclosed out-of-court settlement in her civil sex claim against him. No detail has been disclosed with regard to the settlement and costs, but it has been reported he has agreed to pay an eight-figure sum and there has been speculation the Queen might help with costs from her private funds.

The Daily Telegraph reported that a deal was agreed at the weekend following at least 10 days of negotiations between the two sides. The newspaper said the total amount to go to Ms Giuffre and her charity exceeds £12 million, and reported that part will be paid by the Queen.

Buckingham Palace has declined to comment on yesterday’s legal development, while Andrew’s representatives also declined to say how the donation to Mrs Giuffre’s charity would be funded.

Royal finances expert and author David McClure said there is ‘enormous public interest’ in the sum and the source of the funding being disclosed, adding: ‘I really think for once the royal family should come clean and say where the money came from.’

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 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 this week 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.

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 remained fears over the health of the Queen after she was visited by Charles at Windsor 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 of 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.

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.’

The Queen with her sons Prince Charles (left) and Prince Andrew (right) on the Buckingham Palace balcony in June 2019

Prince Andrew and Virginia Roberts stand together with Ghislaine Maxwell in the background in London on March 13, 2001

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 were informed of her positive result and the charities have been contacting any people who were in close contact.

The Queen’s last official engagement before yesterday was with the Prime Minister on Wednesday evening of last week. No further engagements had been planned over the weekend.

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