Queen Elizabeth Meets With UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson Amid COVID-19 Diagnosis
Queen Elizabeth II isn't letting her COVID-19 diagnosis stop her from continuing her royal duties. As she continues to rest and isolate at Windsor Castle, the 95-year-old monarch on Wednesday held an audience with U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Buckingham Palace confirmed, according to Entertainment Tonight.
The weekly meeting between Her Majesty and the prime minister is a tradition. However, while these meetings typically take place in person, the Queen held an audience with Johnson over the phone from Windsor Castle due to her COVID-19 diagnosis. A source told ET of the Queen's Wednesday schedule, "there were no other planned engagements in today's diary, though for transparency purposes, there had been a planned in-person audience, but as Her Majesty has been diagnosed with COVID that was canceled on Monday as it would have broken guidelines to have gone ahead."
Despite her meeting with Johnson, the Queen is continuing to only take on light work duties amid her battle with COVID. On Thursday, Buckingham Palace confirmed the Queen has postponed two virtual audiences. A palace spokesperson said in a statement, per The Guardian, "the two virtual audiences that had previously been scheduled to take place today will now be rescheduled for a later date. Her Majesty is continuing with light duties." The statement added that "no other engagements are scheduled for this week." The palace previously announced a similar move on Tuesday, sharing that the Queen "decided not to undertake her planned virtual engagements" as she was "still experiencing mild cold-like symptoms."
The palace announced Sunday that the 95-year-old monarch tested positive for the virus, sharing in a statement that she was experiencing "mild cold-like symptoms" and would continue "light duties" at Windsor Castle for the rest of the week. The palace added that the Queen continued "to receive medical attention and will follow all the appropriate guidelines." Her diagnosis followed that of her son, Prince Charles, who last met with his mother on Feb. 18. Charles' wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, also tested positive for coronavirus.
The Queen is both vaccinated and boosted. She and her late husband, Prince Philip, received their first doses of a Covid-19 vaccine in January 2021, the palace previously confirmed. Amid the ongoing pandemic, the Queen and those around her have taken several precautions. The Queen has remained at Windsor Castle throughout the pandemic, and several royal family gatherings have been canceled as a result of COVID-19 surges. PEOPLE also previously reported that staff at Windsor Castle are tested regularly for COVID.