Buckingham Palace announced Sunday that Queen Elizabeth II has tested positive for Covid-19.
“Her Majesty is experiencing mild coldlike symptoms but expects to continue light duties at Windsor over the coming week,” palace officials said in a statement. “She will continue to receive medical attention and will follow all the appropriate guidelines.”
The Queen’s diagnosis comes 10 days after her son Prince Charles contracted Covid-19 for a second time, with his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall testing positive on Monday as well. CNN reports that the Queen “recently” met with Prince Charles, but the specific date was not revealed.
On Wednesday, Queen Elizabeth II — who received her first Covid vaccine done in Jan. 2021 and has reportedly had all her follow-up shots, although the palace would not confirm that information citing medical privacy, the BBC reports — met with outgoing Defence Services Secretary, Rear Admiral James Macleod, and his successor Major General Eldon Millar.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted Sunday, “I’m sure I speak for everyone in wishing Her Majesty The Queen a swift recovery from Covid and a rapid return to vibrant good health.” (Hours earlier, before the palace’s announcement, Johnson tweeted, “Covid will not suddenly disappear, and we need to learn to live with this virus and continue to protect ourselves without restricting our freedoms.”)
Queen Elizabeth II, who turns 96 in April and has spent seven decades on the throne, spent a night in the hospital in late 2021 for undisclosed reasons; reports suggest that the Queen suffered from exhaustion, forcing her to cancel scheduled engagements.
Her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, died in April 2021 at the age of 99. Buckingham Palace went through great lengths to isolate Queen Elizabeth amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the New York Times reports, but in recent months the Queen had begun making public appearances again.
The Queen was next scheduled to appear at a March 2 diplomatic reception at Windsor Castle among other services that month, but those engagements are now in doubt, CNN reports.
From Rolling Stone US
