Queen Elizabeth II, 95, tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday, Buckingham Palace has informed. An announcement that arouses concern across the Channel, as the state of health of the sovereign has been questioned for several months.
Comment va Elizabeth II?
Elizabeth II does not appear to have developed a serious form of Covid-19. In its press release, Buckingham Palace has indeed indicated that the British monarch was suffering from “mild symptoms similar to those of a cold”.
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 those of WHO boss Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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How is the Queen’s health monitored?
Buckingham clarified that Elizabeth II “will continue to receive medical supervision and follow all appropriate recommendations”.
The Queen “will be watched very closely in the coming days” for what hopefully “is nothing more than a minor annoyance”, said Joe Little, editor of Majesty Magazine. “The queen is very stoic”, and has “always been very positive”, meanwhile assured AFP royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams. “There is no doubt that she will receive the best care possible,” he added, expecting regular updates from Buckingham Palace.
According to Guardianmany doctors will indeed be at the bedside of the queen during her recovery, starting with Sir Huw Thomas, the head of the royal medical team and doctor to Elizabeth II.
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How did she contract Covid-19?
The most famous monarch on the planet, who has just passed the milestone of 70 years of reign, met her son Prince Charles on February 8, two days before he tested positive. He recovered from his symptoms.
Since this meeting, doubt hovered over the state of health of Elizabeth II. It is therefore possibly with her son that the queen caught the Covid-19. But several members of staff at Windsor Castle, which the Queen has made her primary residence since the start of the pandemic, have also reportedly tested positive, explain the British media. The sovereign could have contracted the virus from their contact.
Is the queen vaccinated?
According to British media, Elizabeth II, who will turn 96 on April 21, is protected against the majority of serious forms of Covid-19 since she is triple vaccinated. Just like his son, Prince Charles, and his wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.
The Queen will continue her activities
It is obviously not the Covid-19 which will stop the Queen of England. According to Buckingham Palace, despite her symptoms, Elizabeth II “expects to continue during the coming week light duties in Windsor”.
Shortly after the announcement of her positive test, the palace also published a message of congratulations from the Queen to the British curling teams for their success at the Beijing Olympics – gold for women, silver for men -, addressing them his “congratulations”. A way of showing that the sovereign is still in business.
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A worrying state of health
In recent months, the state of health of Queen Elizabeth II has fueled many concerns across the Channel.
Last October, the monarch spent a night in the hospital for “preliminary” examinations, the nature of which has never been specified since. Since then, the sovereign has been put on forced rest by her doctors and her appearances have become rare.
But the palace had 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. Before that, the Queen is expected to attend a diplomatic reception in Windsor on March 2 and a Commonwealth ceremony on March 14.
Since her interview with her son, the queen had appeared during an in-person meeting with her military attachés at Windsor Castle, about forty kilometers from London. Video of the encounter showed her 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 the concerns about her state of health.
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