Queen Elizabeth II Cancels Virtual Engagements For This Week After Positive COVID Test

The 95-year-old monarch, who has reportedly been vaccinated three times, received the positive test last week. It came after Queen Elizabeth met with her son and heir to the throne Prince Charles, who also tested positive for COVID-19. Royal officials said the monarch is experiencing mild symptoms.

Queen Elizabeth II has cancelled planned virtual engagements as she is experiencing coronavirus symptoms, Buckingham Palace has said in a statement. The monarch “has decided not to undertake her planned virtual engagements today, but will continue with light duties”, a palace spokesman has said.

Buckingham Palace reiterated that the Queen is experiencing mild, cold-like symptoms. According to local media, further engagements over the coming week, such as the monarch’s weekly conversation with the prime minister, will be decided upon later.

The development comes amid concerns about the health of the 95-year-old monarch. Three days before she tested positive for COVID-19, which causes serious cases among the older population, the Queen held an in-person audience at Windsor Castle during which she seemingly complained about her health.

In video footage posted online the monarch is seen talking with incoming Defence Secretary Major General Eldon Millar, and his predecessor, Rear Admiral James Macleod. Responding to a question about her well-being, the monarch, who was holding a cane, pointed to her left leg and said: “Well, as you can see I can’t move”.

"As you can see I can't move" – Awkward moment Queen Elizabeth complains of stiffness during a meeting. pic.twitter.com/SvMvcDT30t

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Buckingham Palace has not commented on the issue. However, local media reported that the Queen was feeling rather stiff than simply being unwell or injured.

Last October, the monarch had to scrap several important engagements, including the the Remembrance service at the Cenotaph and the 26th UN Climate Change Conference, after doctors ordered her to take several weeks of rest. The 95-year-old was also admitted to Edward VII’s hospital for what Buckingham Palace said were “preliminary investigations”.

On 20 February, palace officials announced that the Queen tested positive for COVID-19. The news came ten days after it became known that her son Prince Charles, heir to the throne, caught the disease.

Prince Charles met with the Queen in the week he tested positive, but local media outlets have speculated that the Queen did not contract COVID-19 from her son. According to the BBC, a number of people working at Windsor Castle, where the monarch is believed to be residing, have tested positive for COVID-19.

Earlier this month, the Queen, whose husband Prince Philip died last year, became the first British monarch to mark a Platinum Jubilee – 70 years on the throne.