Buckingham Palace mentioned on Friday that Queen Elizabeth II, who lately recovered from Covid-19, won’t attend a Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey subsequent week — in what would have been her first main public engagement in weeks.
The queen, who returned to work on March 1, met Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada this week in her first in-person official assembly after her constructive check outcome. The palace posted a photograph to Twitter on Monday of the queen, who can also be queen of Canada, receiving Mr. Trudeau at Windsor Citadel for a one-on-one assembly.
The choice to skip the Commonwealth Day service was associated to discussions in regards to the queen’s consolation in touring to and from the occasion, in keeping with reporting from Reuters. Queen Elizabeth, 95, was hospitalized final October for undisclosed illnesses and was suggested by her medical crew to relaxation for at the very least two weeks.
The service, which might be held on Monday, celebrates the Commonwealth of Nations, primarily former territories of the British Empire. The palace mentioned in an announcement that Queen Elizabeth requested Prince Charles to symbolize her.
Along with Charles, the inheritor to the throne, the palace mentioned the service could be attended by his spouse, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall; William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge; and Princess Alexandra, a cousin of the queen’s. However, in one other instance of the royal household coping with Covid inside its ranks, Richard, the Duke of Gloucester, one other cousin of the queen’s, lately examined constructive for the coronavirus, and the palace mentioned he wouldn’t be attending.
The occasion is coming as new circumstances of the coronavirus are climbing in the UK — up 40 p.c from the every day common two weeks in the past, in keeping with a New York Occasions database.
A extremely transmissible subvariant of Omicron generally known as BA.2 has turn into the dominant pressure in components of Europe. In England, researchers discovered that it took much less time on common for somebody with BA.2 to contaminate one other particular person, accelerating its unfold by communities. However officers say it’s too early to find out whether it is driving the U.Okay.’s latest rise in circumstances.
Queen Elizabeth first examined constructive for the coronavirus on Feb. 20, with the palace describing her signs as gentle. Within the days after, the queen canceled some digital engagements however continued with “mild duties,” the palace mentioned.
When the queen acquired Mr. Trudeau on Monday, the general public was additional reassured about her restoration. “The Queen will proceed with different deliberate engagements, together with in-person audiences, within the week forward,” the palace mentioned in its assertion.