Queen Elizabeth II holds virtual weekly meeting with Prime Minister after Covid-19 diagnosis

By Max Foster, CNN

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II spoke with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said, despite the monarch suffering mild symptoms after her positive Covid-19 diagnosis.

Johnson’s visit was supposed to be in person but was canceled due to current government guidelines, a royal source told CNN.

The Queen on Tuesday canceled her planned virtual engagements but would continue with what the palace called “light duties.” Light duties likely refer to her head of state responsibilities such as reading and answering documents and letters, which she receives daily in her famous red despatch boxes.

A source close to the palace told CNN that the Queen’s further engagements over the coming week will be decided upon nearer the time

The palace announced Sunday that the 95-year-old monarch had contracted the virus. Concern for the Queen’s health has been renewed given her advanced age and health issues late last year.

The Queen’s diagnosis is the latest Covid case to hit the royal household. Her eldest son and heir to the British throne, Prince Charles, contracted the virus for a second time on February 10, and had seen his mother “recently.” Days later, his wife, Camilla, also tested positive.

Additionally, a royal source told CNN Sunday that there had recently been “a number of cases … diagnosed in the Windsor Castle team.”

UK media have reported that the Queen is fully vaccinated. Buckingham Palace previously confirmed both the monarch and her late husband, Prince Philip, had received their first doses of a Covid-19 vaccine in January 2021. The palace has declined to reveal any information regarding subsequent vaccinations, citing medical privacy.

The-CNN-Wire
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