The Queen seems to have made a swift recovery since testing positive for COVID-19 last month, as she is already back to her face-to-face royal duties, meeting with none other than Justin Trudeau on Monday, March 7th! The Canadian Prime Minister is said to be in the UK to discuss the current war in Ukraine with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
The 95-year-old monarch was pictured shaking Trudeau’s hand in front of a yellow and blue bouquet of flowers in Windsor Castle, which everyone has assumed is her subtle way of showing her support to the people of Ukraine amid the current Russian invasion.
Everyone is pleased to see that The Queen has returned to her normal in-person engagements since she announced her COVID-19 diagnosis on February 20th; even more so because some fans and royal experts were worried that her health could affect her Platinum Jubilee celebrations – which will celebrate her remarkable 70 years of service – that are due to go ahead in June.
"It's wonderful to see The Queen back meeting people after recovering from COVID," royal author Phil Dampier told Femail. "Most importantly the fact she is well again gives hope that she will be able to fully enjoy her Platinum Jubilee celebrations later in the year."
Dampier also went on to say that while The Queen may still have a few other ongoing health issues, he doesn’t see them affecting her ability to enjoy her Platinum Jubilee, and all the other upcoming events that she is expected to attend. "She may be suffering from stiffness in her legs and hips, but it will be wonderful to see her enjoy The Derby, Trooping the Colour and all the other events in June," he continued, before saying that Her Majesty can't wait for things to get back to normal, especially as far as ditching the face masks is concerned.
"It was noticeable that The Queen didn't wear a mask in contrast to Kier Starmer who met Trudeau later in the day. She hates wearing them and longs to return to normality," he added. "The Queen was inspirational during the pandemic, and now we need her keep calm and carry on attitude during the Ukraine crisis. It was a lovely touch for her to have yellow and blue flowers in the background, the colours of the Ukraine flag."
Despite showing a good recovery from COVID-19 and things looking promising in terms of her Platinum Jubilee, another royal author has suggested that The Queen has a "tough year" ahead, as the endless drama with her son Prince Andrew cannot be ignored.
"It is really great to see the Queen bounce back for the Jubilee," said Nigel Cawthorne, author of Prince Philip, I Know I Am Rude. "But now the possibility has been raised that Johanna Sjoberg, the twenty-one-year old who was with Virginia Giuffre at Epstein and Maxwell’s, might sue. Then there's Giuffre's victim impact statement at Maxwell's sentencing hearing in June, further to her guilty verdict of underage sex trafficking, that is likely to overshadow the jubilee celebrations. It is going to be a tough year and she will miss the tower of strength she had in Prince Philip."
And speaking of Prince Philip, it has also been revealed that The Queen is currently making plans to move out of Buckingham Palace, where she has lived for the majority of her 70-year reign, as she wishes to make Windsor Castle her permanent residence. Reports claim that she is said to prefer it to Buckingham Palace as it is where she spent her final days with her late husband, Prince Philip, before he passed away back in April 2021.
