After her diagnosis with COVID-19 back in February, the Queen made it a point to lay low and recover. Ever since, the 95-year-old monarch has been very cautious, showing a preference for video meetings to face-to-face interactions as a general rule as we ride strong into the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This past Monday after her stint in recovery, the long-reigning monarch has come back into the public eye. While finally back at work, she officially hosted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Windsor Castle with a meeting in the Oak Room.
This was her first official hosting in person with anyone since her original diagnosis with COVID-19 near the end of February. People highlighted that there was a prominently displayed blue and yellow floral arrangement throughout the meeting, seemingly as a nod to the Ukrainian flag.
“I have had the privilege of knowing Her Majesty for about 45 years now, and I can tell you that in my meeting with her this morning, she was as insightful and perspicacious as ever. We had a really useful conversation about global events, as we always do,” claimed Trudeau, as reported by the royal editor of the Sunday Times, Roya Nikkah.
“I was able to talk about the situations we are facing and draw on her long experience from having seen much over these past decades,” stated Trudeau.
The meeting took place just a few days after the Queen put forth a “generous donation” towards aiding Ukraine, as reported by Town & Country. Many other senior royals such as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Charles, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridges, have all taken time to issue statements denouncing Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Directly before the meeting with Trudeau, the Queen was host to family members for a post-recovery visit about one week ago. Prince William, Kate Middleton and their three children — Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis — were all in attendance at the gathering held at Frogmore House. It was also noted that the Queen’s other grandchild Princess Beatrice also attended with her own young daughter Sienna.
Many royal followers were very concerned when Elizabeth tested positive for COVID-19.
“Buckingham Palace confirms that The Queen has today tested positive for Covid. Her Majesty is experiencing mild cold-like symptoms but expects to continue light duties at Windsor over the coming week,” stated one spokesperson for the palace at the time. “She will continue to receive medical attention and will follow all the appropriate guidelines.”
One insider at the palace spoke about the high number of stressors that Queen Elizabeth is going through beyond her recent positive test. Between the still-unfolding drama in relation to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle quitting their roles as senior royals, and her son Prince Andrew dealing with the underage sex scandal, the monarch seems to be constantly fighting various forms of negative press by association.
“It’s a drip-feed of negativity for the monarchy,” stated the palace insider to the publication in the wake of the queen’s diagnosis. “I’ve not known such a tumultuous time as this.”
They went on, “It just feels to be one thing after another for the Queen. It’s going to take a toll.” The insider also stated that the queen was “stoical and mentally strong” all throughout the chaos.