It was rather unexpected that the British Queen Elizabeth has tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday. Considering the age of the monarch, this has raised a lot of concerns.
At 95, she is the world’s longest-reigning monarch after celebrating 70 years on the British throne just a couple of weeks ago.
She has however been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus illness. Just recently, the queen has reported to Palace staff that she couldn’t move much. She also spent a night in the hospital back in October due to 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.”
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“She will continue to receive medical attention and will follow all appropriate guidelines,” the Palace said.
Earlier this month, it was reported that Charles, 73, who is heir to the throne withdrew from an event after contracting COVID-19 for a second time. However, a Palace source narrated that he has met with the queen days before.
The world’s oldest monarch quietly marked her 70th anniversary of being the queen of Britain. She became the queen of Britain and other regions across the globe where the British government reigned including Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
She ascended to the throne back in the year 1952 after the death of her father King George VI.
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.
The fact that she was able to maintain the popularity of the British monarchy despite seismic political, social and cultural changes all of which has threatened royalty is incredible.
When she ascended the throne, Josef Stalin, Mao Zedong and Harry Truman were running the Soviet Union, China and the United States, respectively, while Winston Churchill was British prime minister.
Including Churchill, the queen has been served by 14 prime ministers – a quarter of the number in Britain since Robert Walpole 300 years ago. During her reign, there have been 14 U.S. presidents, all of whom she has met bar Lyndon Johnson.
She is known to be a devoted leader and she’s very popular and respected in the United Kingdom as well as the broader Commonwealth even though the royal family has been tainted with a number of scandals.
“Wishing Her Majesty The Queen good health and a speedy recovery,” opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer said. “Get well soon, Ma’am.”
While public affection for her remains strong, with about four in five Britons holding a favourable view, the monarchy itself has suffered a number of knocks, including a U.S. sex abuse court case against her second son Prince Andrew, raising questions about the long-term future of the monarchy.
The accused prince finally settled the lawsuit by Virginia Giuffre who accused him of sexually abusing her as a teenager. He is also a former associate of Jeffrey Epstein, the world-famous sex offender.
Prince Andrew has however denied the accusation of Giuffre who lives in Australia.
British police said last week they had begun an investigation into allegations in media reports that honours were offered to a Saudi national in return for donations to one of Prince Charles’s charities.
