London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 07, 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
University of Bristol Opens £500 Million Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus
Online Bookmakers Accused of Privacy Breaches Through Cookie Consent Practices
Health Campaigners Urge UK Government to Abandon U.S. Pharmaceutical Agreement
Three-Quarters of UK A&E Staff Report Regular Violence or Aggression
Far-Right Demonstrations Target Portsmouth as Small-Boat Crossings Fuel Tensions
UK Records Hottest Summer on Record After Severe Heatwaves
UK Travellers Face Renewed EU Border Delays as Temporary Flexibility Ends
UK Rejects Calls to Pause AI Data Centre Expansion Despite Energy Concerns
UK Defence Figures Push for 3% Spending Target Amid Falklands Concerns
England Faces Rising Financial Pressure as Special Educational Needs Plans Surge
Metropolitan Police Consider Reform UK Probe Over Overseas Donations
Keir Starmer to Leave Parliament, Triggering By-Election
UK Treasury Weighs Windfall Taxes on Banks and Oil Companies Amid Bond Market Turmoil
Jaguar Land Rover to Cut Thousands of Jobs as UK Government Rules Out Bailout
OpenAI Unveils GPT-6 and Says: "We May Already Have Reached AGI"
Congressman Accused Andrew of Sex Crimes in the United States
Donald Trump: "I'm Glad Harry and Meghan Left the United States"
Spicy Food Is Linked to Lower Death Risk — but It Is Not a Miracle Cure
AfD Enters Saxony-Anhalt Election at 41% in Historic Test for German Politics
Gen Z Turns to Investing as America's First-Home Dream Moves Further Out of Reach
Thousands Join London March Calling for Tighter Abortion Restrictions
Institute of Directors Says Tax and Regulatory Uncertainty Still Weighs on UK Investment
Bank of England Faces Rate Dilemma as Weak Growth and Persistent Inflation Raise Stagflation Risks
Masked Anti-Immigration Protesters Block Roads to Port of Dover
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Sets Out Devolution and Re-Industrialisation Agenda
British Chambers of Commerce Forecasts UK Growth of Just 1% Through 2027
UK Government Advances Bill to Tighten Rules on Overseas Political Donations
Nigel Farage Faces Scrutiny Over Alleged Reform UK Donation-Law Evasion
Thousands Join Anti-Abortion March Through Central London
UK Beekeepers Call for Nationwide Tracking as Asian Hornet Sightings Increase
England Sees Sharp Rise in Property Subsidence Claims After Record Summer Heat
House of Lords Advances Financial Services Reform Bill
House of Lords Begins Detailed Scrutiny of Railways Bill and Great British Railways Plan
UK Treasury Cuts Green Book Discount Rate to Support More Regional Infrastructure Projects
Reform UK Suspends Two Senior Aides After Undercover Report on Foreign Donation Rules
UK Chancellor Warns Autumn Budget Will Require Tough Choices as Energy Shock Squeezes Public Finances
UK Parliament Raises Concerns Over Funding Structure of £400 Million Tropical Forest Initiative
Andy Burnham Launches Number 10 North as Part of UK Devolution Push
UK Reaffirms Falkland Islands Sovereignty Amid Renewed Regional Pressure
Andy Burnham to Abstain From Assisted Dying Vote as Ministers Are Told to Remain Neutral
Kemi Badenoch Sacks Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride in Conservative Economic Strategy Shake-Up
UK Government Drops Early Prisoner Release Plan in Favor of Deportations and Wider Prison Reform
UK Farmers Warn Drought-Hit Harvests Could Push Grocery Prices Higher
UK Economy Faces Persistent Stagflation Risks Ahead of October Budget
Masked Protesters Block Port of Dover Roads, Disrupting Cross-Channel Traffic
Reform UK Suspends Senior Officials After Undercover Investigation Into Foreign Donation Plans
UK Urges Households to Keep Emergency Supplies Amid Severe El Niño Warning
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Sets Out Regional Industry and Prison Reform Agenda
Siemens Energy Wins Rolls-Royce Small Modular Reactor Manufacturing Contract
UK Mortgage Costs Rise as Gilt Yields and Swap Rates Climb
×