THE Queen has been seen for the first time since testing positive for Covid as Her Majesty returnedto work today.
Sources close to Her Majesty, 95, say she has been passed fit after testing positive last month and this morning hosted two virtual audiences.
The monarch met ambassadors from Andorra and Chad via video call.
She was snapped on screen talking to the Ambassador of Andorra, Carles Jordana Madero, at Buckingham Palace.
She had previously been forced to pull out of several engagements due to "mild cold-like symptoms".
Read our Royal Family live blog below for the latest updates…
- Ije Teunissen-Oligboh
Queen is alive and well, despite the rumours
Since it was announced the Queen tested positive for COVID, there have been false headlines and speculation over our longest-reigning monarch.
After finally testing negative, the 95-year-old has seen a number of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
It is said she met with the Cambridges and their three children as the couple decide whether Prince George will break Eton tradition and attend a school in Berkshire in September.
The Queen reportedly also met with Princess Beatrice and her daughter, Sienna.
- Louis Allwood
Queen, 95, has beaten Covid
THE Queen is back to work today after beating Covid.
Sources close to Her Majesty, 95, say she has been passed fit after testing positive last month and this morning hosted two virtual audiences.
The monarch met ambassadors from Andorra and Chad via video call.
She was snapped on screen talking to the Ambassador of Andorra, Carles Jordana Madero, at Buckingham Palace.
She had previously been forced to pull out of several engagements due to "mild cold-like symptoms".
- Ije Teunissen-Oligboh
Diplomatic event postponed due to Ukraine Crisis
It's rare for the Royal family to get involved in political matters so we aren't expecting to find out the Queen's opinion of the ongoing the Ukraine-Russia war.
Due to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia though, the monarch has postponed a diplomatic event that was scheduled for tomorrow, 2 March.
Volodomyr Zelenskyy has stayed in Ukraine to fight despite offers to be flown out. Most recently, he contacted Boris Johnson with a list of arms needed to fight the Russians.
The Queen, who tested positive for COVID last week, has been socialising with family this weekend.
- Ije Teunissen-Oligboh
William and Kate call the Ukrainians 'brave'
In their tweet some days ago, the Cambridges expressed their support for people of Ukraine.
They mentioned they learned of the President and his wife's "optimism and hope" when they met in 2020.
- Ije Teunissen-Oligboh
Andrew stopped receiving cash from public purse in 2019
A Government spokesman said: “The Sovereign Grant supports the monarch and certain members of the Royal Family in carrying out their official duties.
“Prince Andrew stopped receiving support through the Sovereign Grant in 2019 when he ceased carrying out official duties.”
- Ije Teunissen-Oligboh
Red flags around public money used for Prince Andrew's £12m settlement
The Queen's son has been embroiled in scandal in the last few years due to his connection with convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein, and allegations of sexual abuse of Virginia Guiffre.
Though the royals have been mentioned in Parliament in the past, an old custom barring exactly that stopped MPs from talking about the settlement.
There is a change public money paid to the royal family is what was used to pay the settlement to Virginia Giuffre.
The Queen's third-born has continued to insist there was no impropriety though has struggled to prove it and made matters worse by claiming a number of oddities and recalling curious facts in his interview with Emily Maitlis in 2019.
- Ije Teunissen-Oligboh
Queen is alive and well, despite the rumours
Since it was announced the Queen tested positive for COVID, there have been false headlines and speculation over our longest-reigning monarch.
After finally testing negative, the 95-year-old has seen a number of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
It is said she met with the Cambridges and their three children as the couple decide whether Prince George will break Eton tradition and attend a school in Berkshire in September.
The Queen reportedly also met with Princess Beatrice and her daughter, Sienna.
- Ije Teunissen-Oligboh
Duke and Duchess of Cambridge ‘excited’ for tour next month
In a personal message on their Twitter account, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge said: “We are so excited to visit Belize, Jamaica and The Bahamas next month as we mark The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
“We can’t wait to meet people in all three countries, celebrate local cultures and understand more about innovative work being done across communities.”
The message was signed off with “W & C”.
- Louis Allwood
Meghan’s ‘extraordinary’ meeting with Queen before royal exit
A royal commentator has claimed in a documentary that Meghan Markle had a “extraordinary” meeting with the Queen before her and Prince Harry’s bombshell exit from the Royal Family.
The fallout and subsequent events are charted and examined in tonight’s Channel 5 documentary, ‘Harry & Meghan vs the Monarchy’, in which royal experts like Ashely Pearson discusses Megxit.
In the programme, Ms Pearson describes first meeting Meghan had with Harry’s grandmother, the Queen.
She said: “The meeting went extremely well.
“It actually ran over, which is an extraordinary thing for the way the Queen keeps her schedule.
“Meghan was warmly welcomed. Here she is – articulate, bright, intelligent, well-spoken, beautiful, elegant — what is not to like?”
- Louis Allwood
Queen's brutal swipe at Putin
THE Queen once broke royal protocol to take a brutal swipe when Vladimir Putin once left her waiting for 14 minutes.
Her Majesty met Putin on a number of occasions during her 70 years on the throne – but the most eventful was Putin's state visit to the UK in 2003.
He made the palce nervous after leaving the monarch waiting for 14 minutes – and a dog's reaction to the Russian dictator allegedly prompted The Queen to break protocol and take a brutal swipe at him.
According to David Blunkett, who was Home Secretary at the time, his guide dog reacted defensively towards Putin.
He told the BBC : "The only time I met Vladimir Putin was back in 2003 on an official visit and my then dog barked very loudly.
"I did apologise to the Queen who was obviously hosting. I don’t think I am giving anything away when I said, 'Sorry your Majesty about the dog barking.'
"She said, 'Dogs have interesting instincts, don’t they?'"
- Louis Allwood
We’ll mint again
Forces’ sweetheart Dame Vera Lynn is being celebrated with the launch of £2 coins designed by the Royal Mint.
The singer and entertainer lifted people’s spirits during the Second World War with songs including We’ll Meet Again and The White Cliffs Of Dover.
The reverse design of the £2 coin design features a detailed portrait of Dame Vera, accompanied by her name and the dates denoting the years of her life. The coin also features an edge inscription that reads: “We’ll meet again”.
Dame Vera continued to perform and win new fans long after the Second World War. She died in June 2020, aged 103.
The coin, designed by the Royal Mint’s in-house designers, was originally unveiled as part of a five-coin collection.
Dame Vera’s daughter, Virginia Lewis-Jones, said: “It’s fantastic to see my mother celebrated in this way and to ensure her legacy lives on.
“We’re just so excited and pleased – even more so knowing that Royal Mint coins require approval of Her Majesty the Queen. I’m especially pleased that this coin is available to international collectors. Over the years I’ve always been touched by the sacks of letters we receive from people all over the world who have been moved in some way by my mother’s music, charity work or morale-boosting performances during the war.”
- Louis Allwood
Andrew stopped receiving cash from public purse in 2019
A Government spokesman said: “The Sovereign Grant supports the monarch and certain members of the Royal Family in carrying out their official duties.
“Prince Andrew stopped receiving support through the Sovereign Grant in 2019 when he ceased carrying out official duties.”
- Louis Allwood
Prince George could face major move
Educational options are being considered by Kate and William, and could see George find a new school.
Unlike his father, a move to Eton could now be off the table as the royal couple consider moving the their son to a prep school in Berkshire.
According to royal reporter Rebecca English, the Lambrook School is widely considered a front-runner for the Prince.
For George’s siblings, however, they will remain at Thomas’s Battersea for now.
Writing in the Daily Mail, English claimed that reports suggest Princess Charlotte is “super happy and settled” at the school, and is likely to be joined by her younger brother Prince Louis.
- Louis Allwood
Racing trophy awarded by Queen Victoria could fetch £30,000 at auction
A recently rediscovered horse racing trophy awarded by Queen Victoria in 1845 could fetch £30,000 at auction next month.
Dubbed Her Majesty’s Vase, the silver piece was won by Sir John Barker-Mill at the Plymouth, Devon and Cornwall horse races and passed down through his family.
However, the trophy was separated from its stand and the award’s significance was forgotten over time.
Both pieces were recently brought back together when Sir John’s living relatives discovered the engraved base in an outbuilding.
The trophy is expected to fetch between £20,000 and £30,000 when it goes under the hammer at Chiswick Auctions in London in March.
It was commissioned for the races by Queen Victoria and crafted by silversmith John Samuel Hunt, and inspired by an ancient vase dating from the 2nd century AD that was found in fragments in 1770 at the bottom of a lake at Hadrian’s Villa near Rome.
- Louis Allwood
Meghan’s ‘extraordinary’ meeting with Queen before royal exit
A royal commentator has claimed in a documentary that Meghan Markle had a “extraordinary” meeting with the Queen before her and Prince Harry’s bombshell exit from the Royal Family.
The fallout and subsequent events are charted and examined in tonight’s Channel 5 documentary, ‘Harry & Meghan vs the Monarchy’, in which royal experts like Ashely Pearson discusses Megxit.
In the programme, Ms Pearson describes first meeting Meghan had with Harry’s grandmother, the Queen.
She said: “The meeting went extremely well.
“It actually ran over, which is an extraordinary thing for the way the Queen keeps her schedule.
“Meghan was warmly welcomed. Here she is – articulate, bright, intelligent, well-spoken, beautiful, elegant — what is not to like?”
- Louis Allwood
Duke and Duchess of Cambridge ‘excited’ for tour next month
In a personal message on their Twitter account, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge said: “We are so excited to visit Belize, Jamaica and The Bahamas next month as we mark The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
“We can’t wait to meet people in all three countries, celebrate local cultures and understand more about innovative work being done across communities.”
The message was signed off with “W & C”.
- Louis Allwood
Queen faces pressure to strip Harry of official role
The Queen is under pressure from both the public and Parliament to strip Prince Harry and Prince Andrew of official roles as Counsellors of State.
According to the Parliamentary paper, Prince Harry should no longer be eligible for the role given that the UK is no longer his permanent residence since he stepped back from royal life.
The guidance under The Regency Act of 1937 states that all people who hold this position should be members of the Royal Family and importantly, “must be domiciled in ‘some part’ of the UK’.”
The Regency Act of 1943 added that “if it appears to the Sovereign that any eligible Counsellor will be absent from the United Kingdom or intends to be so absent during the whole or any part of the period of such delegation, then Letters Patent [a legal tool at the Monarch’s disposal] may make provision for exempting that person.”
- Louis Allwood
Why Princess Charlotte wasn’t christened in the Chapel Royal like her brothers
THE christening of Prince Louis is just around the corner and will take place at Chapel Royal in St James’ Palace – the same location of the christening of Prince George.
But was there a reason why Princess Charlotte, three, didn’t have her religious ceremony at the same location?
Kate Middleton and Prince William’s only daughter was instead christened at the Church of St Mary Magdalene at Sandringham – the same place that Princess Diana was christened.
The different location was not due to rank or gender, as she is currently higher than Prince Louis in the line of succession.
The reason is thought to the church’s close proximity to the family’s home in 2015, which was Anmer Hall in Norfolk.
It is especially meaningful that Princess Charlotte was christened in the same spot as Diana, as her name is a tribute to the late royal.
Her full name is Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, with her middle name being a nod to Prince William’s mother, who passed away in 1997.
- Louis Allwood
When will Prince Louis be christened?
Traditionally, a royal baby is christened two to three months after their birth – and this is also the case for Prince Louis.
It has been announced he will be christened on Monday July 9 – and we’re unlikely to see him again before then, according to royal experts.
He will be christened by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby.
The venue is The Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace in London, which is where his brother George was christened back in 2013.
- Louis Allwood
‘It’s the royal women keeping show on road’
This is a comment piece by Petronella Wyatt
The semi-detached Prince Harry continues his myopic moanathon from Montecito, yet remains a Counsellor of State. Likewise the disgraced Duke of York, who still holds sway over our Queen.
Even Prince Charles’s usually crystalline reputation has been sewered by allegations of cash for honours, which, in fairness, he denies all knowledge of.
Not for the first time in British history, it has been left to the female side, and in particular the Wives of Windsor, to pick up the slack for Queen and country.
The admirable Princess Anne, bonny Kate, the softly shining Camilla, whom I suspect, once fully burnished, will be a flawless ruby in the crown.
And the ever stalwart Sophie Wessex, who quietly goes about her charitable work as Grand President of St John Ambulance, and gave up her birthday to volunteer at an NHS vaccination centre.
We should all go down on our knees and thank Heaven for such a golden harvest of royal women.
Read the article in full here.
- Louis Allwood
Princess Eugenie’s ‘non-regal’ body language
Princess Eugenie has shared a photo promoting her new podcast series for her charity, the Anti-Slavery Collective.
Body language expert Judi James spoke exclusively to Express.co.uk, and analysed the Princess’ body language in the photograph.
Judi said: “There seems to be an emphasis on a non-regal presence here and a more even-handed status approach between the three women who sit with headphones on recording.
“Eugenie looks serious and rather down-to-earth here which is a look that must suit the campaign she is discussing.”
- Louis Allwood
William & Charles’ ‘days are numbered’
The CEO of an anti-monarchy group claims people see “the Queen as the monarchy and the monarchy as the Queen”.
Graham Smith claims people see the royal family as “a sense of tradition and history in connection with the war and the pre-war period, when the monarchy felt like it was the genuine article”.
Prince Charles and his son Prince William, meanwhile, do not come across the same way, Graham Smith told Express.co.uk.
He said: “I think that the monarchy’s days are numbered.
“It’s just a matter of when rather than if because it has survived this long because of the Queen.”
- Louis Allwood
Prince Edward takes on new prestigious role
Prince Edward is taking over a key role held for several years by his late father Prince Philip.
The Early of Wessex has been appointed as the Royal Windsor Horse Show’s next president.
Speaking about taking over from his father, the Earl said: “My father was instrumental in helping to develop Royal Windsor into one of the most prestigious horse shows in the world.
“I am honoured to have been invited to become only the fourth President in the Show’s history and will do all I can to maintain the Show’s reputation throughout the equestrian community and beyond; something my father was passionate about.”
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