Queen Elizabeth II, 95, tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday but is showing only “mild” symptoms, Buckingham Palace announced, reigniting concerns over the state of health of Britain’s most famous monarch. 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 today,” he announced on Sunday.
“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 press release, 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.
– “Watched very closely” –
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 radiant good health”. To the wishes of British politicians were added, for example, those of the boss of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
The news, as the government prepares to drop the latest health restrictions, comes against a busy backdrop for the Queen. His second son Prince Andrew has reached an agreement to put an end to a complaint in the United States for sexual assault and Scotland Yard has opened an investigation linked to a foundation of Prince Charles.
The queen “will be watched very closely in the days to come”, for what, if all goes well, “is nothing more than a small annoyance”, meanwhile underlined Joe Little, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine.
“She is more than ready for what lies ahead,” royal commentator Alastair Bruce told Sky News.
Since a hospitalization for one night in October, for a reason never specified, the appearances of the sovereign had become rare. But the palace recently announced a resumption of its public activities, including a ceremony on March 29 at Westminster Abbey in memory of Prince Philip, her husband who died last year.
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.
– 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.
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 isolating himself. He had met his mother 48 hours earlier.
Queen of England Elizabeth II, June 12, 2021 in Windsor
© POOL – Chris Jackson
The monarch’s entourage then indicated that she had no symptoms, without saying whether she had been tested positive or negative, fueling concern.
Four days of festivities are planned to celebrate the queen’s platinum jubilee, which passed the milestone of seven decades of reign on February 6.
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