THE Queen shunned gloves to meet Navy officers at Buckingham Palace today as coronavirus continues to grip the nation.
The 93-year-old monarch beamed as she conducted one of her last royal engagements before she is expected to be whisked to Windsor a week early.
Despite the change of plans for Easter, Her Majesty looked stunning in a blue dress as she met with Commodore Steven Moorhouse and Captain Angus Essenhigh at Buckingham Palace.
The officers are the outgoing and incoming Commanding Officers of the Royal Navy Aircraft that bears her name, the HMS Queen Elizabeth.
The Queen did not wear gloves for the engagement – however it is unclear if she shook hands with the officers.
The monarch is soon set to leave London and head to Windsor Castle amid the coronavirus crisis.
She is then likely to remain at Windsor Castle for an extended period after the Easter period.
Audiences at Buckingham Palace will continue as planned this week.
But several events will be postponed including all garden parties at the palace and the annual Maundy Service at St George’s Chapel on 9th April will not go ahead.
The Queen was due to host the revellers on May 1th, 19th and 27th but they will no longer go ahead after advice to end large gatherings.
More than 30,000 people were set to gather at the palace for the traditional parties in May. Two more garden parties at organised by charities and hosted the palace have also been canned.
Every guest who won a ticket through the ballot will instead be invited to the 2021 garden parties.
All major future engagements including Trooping the Colour and VE Day celebrations are under review.
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It comes as coronavirus cases today hit 1,963 with 72 deaths in Britain.
Scotland recorded another death today while Wales confirmed an additional 13 cases this morning, taking their total of infections to 149.
A nine-month-old boy in Manchester is just one of the latest cases reported this week while a baby in Norfolk was confirmed with the virus.
The parents of Cassian, Myroslava and Callum Caotes, were then stunned when staff put a “big sign up” near them which read “suspected case”.
Cassian, who is just nine-months-old, was then assessed by a doctor who confirmed he had the symptoms and said: “Yeah, it’s the coronavirus strand.”
Meanwhile, the UK’s youngest coronavirus victim was last night named as 45-year-old Craig Ruston – as his devastated wife paid an emotional tribute.
The "amazing" father-of-two, from Kettering, Northants, who had motor neurone disease, succumbed to the killer bug in hospital yesterday.
Boris Johnson this week announced drastic new measures in an attempt to slow the spread of the bug – with confirmed cases worldwide today topping 200,000 worldwide.
The PM last night promised a £350bn 'war-time' bailout to stop coronavirus from wrecking the economy.
His people’s bailout will be the biggest rescue package in peacetime.
Meanwhile Scotland and Wales schools are set to shut as Boris said the decision was "imminent" for England.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said it is inevitable schools will close and hinted they will be shut on Friday.
No10 sources also said they were in discussions about whether to postpone crucial exams.
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