London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 12, 2025

Queen carries on with light duties after Covid symptoms

Queen carries on with light duties after Covid symptoms

The Queen is working on "light duties" at Windsor Castle this week despite testing positive for Covid, royal officials say.

Buckingham Palace confirmed on Sunday that the Queen, 95, was experiencing "mild cold-like symptoms".

Light duties likely includes reading state papers, which usually takes up a significant chunk of nearly every day.

"The mood at Windsor Castle is one of caution and no major cause for alarm," said royal correspondent Daniela Relph.

The BBC correspondent added that there is a sense it will be "business-as-usual as much as is possible for the Queen".

But the Queen's medical team will likely be keeping a very close eye on her, especially as she is considerably thinner and frailer than she was last year, Daniela Relph added.

The Queen's eldest son and heir, the Prince of Wales, 73, tested positive on 10 February, two days after the pair had met each other.

A number of people have also tested positive at Windsor Castle where the Queen lives, it is understood.

The Queen had no public engagements in the diary this week, but it is likely that any scheduled video meetings are likely to have been postponed.

While on light duties it is likely the Queen will be reading documents from UK government ministers and Commonwealth representatives sent to her every day, approving and signing them where necessary.

A short trip to Denmark by the Duchess of Cambridge is still set to go ahead this week.

The Queen was pictured using a stick during an audience at Windsor Castle last Wednesday


The Queen, who will be 96 in April, had her first vaccine in January 2021 and is believed to have had all her follow-up jabs after that.

Messages wishing her well poured in to the Queen following the Covid announcement, including from Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.

News of her positive test comes as Mr Johnson prepares to announce an end to Covid restrictions including the legal requirement to self-isolate.

The prime minister is to meet the Cabinet in the morning before updating the Commons in the afternoon with his "living with Covid" strategy.

It also comes in her Platinum Jubilee year marking 70 years on the throne.

Last Tuesday, the Queen attended her first official engagement since coming into contact with Prince Charles, holding a virtual meeting with two new ambassadors to the UK.

The following day, she smiled as she suggested she had mobility problems during a meeting with defence staff. Standing while using a walking stick, she pointed to her left leg and said: "Well, as you can see, I can't move."

The Royal Household has its own physicians, and the Queen's is Sir Huw Thomas, a consultant at St Mary's Hospital in London and professor of gastrointestinal genetics at Imperial College London.

He is "head of the medical household", which is part of the Royal Household looking after the health of the family.

Timeline: The Royal Family and Covid

* March 2020: Prince Charles tests positive

* April: Duke of Cambridge tests positive

* January 2021: The Queen and Prince Philip have their first jabs

* February: Prince Charles and Camilla receive their first doses

* 8 February 2022: Queen spends time with Prince Charles at an event at Windsor Castle

* 10 February: Prince Charles tests positive a second time

* 14 February: Camilla tests positive

* 20 February: Buckingham Palace announces Queen has tested positive

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
×