Queen returns to work for first engagement since rest orders and hospital stay
The Queen has returned to work carrying out virtual audiences from Windsor Castle for the first time since she spent a night in hospital and was ordered to rest by her doctors.
Images have been released of the 95-year-old monarch virtually hosting newly appointed ambassadors to the UK.
It was the first time she has done an official engagement since she had a busy evening at a reception for the global investment summit on October 19.
After the summit, she cancelled a trip to Northern Ireland and was under strict orders to rest and faced preliminary tests in hospital on October 20.
It was her first overnight stay at a medical facility in eight years.
On Tuesday, the Queen was pictured on screen as she greeted the ambassador from the Republic of Korea, Gunn Kim, who was dressed in Korean clothing including a traditional hat known as a gat.
The Queen also held a virtual audience with the ambassador from the Swiss Confederation, Markus Leitner, who was accompanied by his wife Nicole Leitner.
Both ambassadors travelled to Buckingham Palace to join the video call, and presented their credentials – their predecessors’ Letters of Recall and their own Letters of Credence on an antique wooden table in front of the screen.
The monarch is being looked after by the Medical Household, her expert team of royal physicians.
She is due to attend events in Scotland next week as part of a flurry of royal COP26 engagements involving the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge between November 1-5.
On the royal family’s website, the Queen is still listed as attending a reception on November 1 as part of the climate change conference.
It has not yet been confirmed as to whether she will travel to Scotland.
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The Queen had a busy schedule of engagements in the first weeks of October following her return from Balmoral, and her hospital stay was kept a secret and only confirmed by the Palace when it was revealed by The Sun newspaper.
The Queen was seen using a walking stick for the first time at a major engagement during a Westminster Abbey service on October 12.
On Thursday, she was said to be in “good spirits” after her hospital stay and back at her desk, undertaking light duties.
But she missed a church service at Windsor on Sunday.
The Queen’s husband of 73 years the Duke of Edinburgh died six months ago at the age of 99.
Buckingham Palace would not comment on whether the monarch has received her booster Covid-19 jab, but given her age it is likely she has already had it.