London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Aug 25, 2026

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
New Daily Diabetes and Weight-Loss Pill Launches in UK Pharmacies
UK Payroll Employment Falls by 94,000 as Labour Market Cools
Onshore Wind Planning Applications in England Reach Ten-Year High After Rules Eased
UK Government Demands Social Media Platforms Remove Dangerous Driving Content After A66 Crash
Thames Water Creditors Face Backlash Over Proposed Corporate Restructuring
Twelve Arrested After Fatal A66 Crash Linked to Organised Crime Investigation
UK Household Energy Debt Could Reach £7 Billion by Year-End
UK Defence Ministry to Use Ukraine Battlefield Data to Train AI Security Systems
UK Government Redirects £4 Billion of Affordable Homes Funding Away From Social Housing
UK Government Borrowing Reaches £1.8 Billion in July, Exceeding Forecasts
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham Pledges Advanced Missile Support for Ukraine
8Bank of England Holds Interest Rate at 3.75% as Middle East Energy Risks Rise
Prime Minister Andy Burnham to Give Ukraine Classified Storm Shadow Blueprints for Domestic Missile Production
UK Graduate Job Vacancies Plunge 45% to Lowest Levels on Record
Government Audit Reveals Pressure on UK Hospitality From Business Rates and Rising Costs
Kindertransport Survivor Prepares to Revisit European Sites Linked to Her Family’s Wartime Separation
Northern England Transport Operators Strengthen Contingency Plans as Travel Demand Rises
New Implant Trials Offer Treatment Prospects for Patients With Refractory Angina
South Wales Reviews Wildfire Response After Exceptionally Dry Summer
UK Treasury Prepares Autumn Fiscal Statement Amid Spending and Defense Pressures
Norfolk Records First Wild Beaver Births in More Than Five Hundred Years
Historic Portrait of Benjamin Disraeli Reported Missing From Parliament’s Art Collection
Five People, Including Police Officers, Killed in A66 Crash as Families Pay Tribute
Most English Secondary Schools Found to Fall Short of National Healthy Food Standards
UK Think Tank Says Productivity Growth May Be Stronger Than Official Data Shows
Reform Party Proposes Lower Social Housing Priority for Foreign-Born UK Citizens
UK Government Plans Business Rate Overhaul to Ease Pressure on Pubs and Hotels
New Daily Diabetes and Weight-Loss Pill Launches Across NHS Pharmacies in England
UK Graduate Job Vacancies Fall to Lowest Level in a Decade
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham Visits Kyiv to Reaffirm Long-Term Military Support for Ukraine
Iranian Hackers Shut Down British Power Plant for Four Days in Landmark Cyber Attack
Novak Djokovic Reveals Relentless Self-Doubt and Rejects Retirement in New Documentary
Trump Imposes 50% Tariffs on Canadian Goods After Bilateral Trade Talks Collapse
First Bus Bars Unaccompanied Under-Sixteens From Evening Services in Stoke-on-Trent
Lithium-Ion Battery Fires Cost UK Waste Sector About One Billion Pounds a Year
Reform UK Proposes Lower Social Housing Priority for Foreign-Born Naturalised Citizens
UK Government Deploys AI Drones in Crackdown on Illegal Waste Dumping
EU Biometric Border Checks Cause Disruption for British Travellers and Freight Operators
UK Expands Voluntary Drug Treatment Programme for Sex Offenders to Twenty Prisons
CrossCountry Cancels Most Services After Major Power Failure at Control Centre
Met Office Warns El Niño Could Bring Severe Autumn Storms and Higher Food Prices
Resolution Foundation Says UK Productivity Growth May Be Stronger Than Official Data Suggest
Andy Burnham Proposes Giving Regional Mayors Greater Planning Powers
UK Government Overhauls Planning Rules to Accelerate Housing Near Transport Links
Russia Withdraws Ambassador to Britain and Warns of Retaliation Over UK Drone Supplies to Ukraine
Iran-Linked Hackers Blamed for Cyberattack That Shut Down UK Power Plant
Andy Burnham Pledges UK Support for Long-Range Missile Production in Ukraine
Australia Combines Indigenous Fire Knowledge With Satellite Tech to Combat Catastrophic Wildfires
Father and Son Jailed in Scotland Over £900,000 Airport Cannabis Smuggling Operation
UK Fraud Reports Surge Sevenfold as Criminals Exploit QR Codes in Parking Meters and Phishing Emails
×