WINDSOR: Queen Elizabeth tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday, sharpening concerns about the health of the world’s longest-reigning monarch two weeks after she marked 70 years on the British throne.
The 95-year-old queen, who has been fully vaccinated against coronavirus, quipped just four days ago to Palace staff that she could not move much, and she spent a night in hospital last October for an unspecified ailment.
“The Queen has today tested positive for Covid,” the Palace said. “Her Majesty is experiencing mild cold like symptoms but expects to continue light duties at Windsor over the coming week.”
“She will continue to receive medical attention and will follow all appropriate guidelines,” the Palace said.
Charles, 73, the heir to the throne, earlier this month withdrew from an event after contracting Covid-19 for a second time. A Palace source said he had met the queen days before.
Elizabeth, the world’s oldest monarch, quietly marked the 70th anniversary of her accession to the British throne in early February.
Elizabeth, became the queen of Britain and more than a dozen other realms including Australia, Canada and New Zealand on the death of her father King George VI on Feb. 6, 1952, while she was in Kenya on an international tour.
She is the first British sovereign to spend seven decades on the throne in a dynasty that traces its origins back almost 1,000 years to Norman King William I and his 1066 conquest of England.–REUTERS
