Queen spotted in person for first time in more than a month at Royal Windsor Horse Show
Her Majesty's appearance on Friday is an encouraging sign that she will be able to take part in the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, reports ITV News Royal Editor Chris Ship
The Queen has been seen in public for the first time since the Duke of Edinburgh's thanksgiving more than a month ago.
The 96-year-old arrived at the Royal Windsor Horse Show to watch her horses take to the parade ring.
The monarch has pulled out of a number of in-person events over recent months due to mobility problems.
The Queen was in good spirits as she attended the Royal Windsor Horse Show today.
This week Charles stood in for the Queen at the state opening of Parliament. It was the first time the Queen has missed the event in nearly 60 years.
The 96-year-old was driven onto the showground in a Range Rover.
She sat in the front passenger seat of the vehicle, casually dressed in a white blouse and a blue cardigan-style top and wearing sunglasses.
The Queen watching on in good spirits and sharing a joke
As the Range Rover pulled up near the parade ring, the Queen spoke to a small group, thought to be officials from the show, through the open car window.
She appeared relaxed, smiling and laughing as she chatted, while just a few feet away dozens of photographers tried to capture the moment.
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Inside the parade ring, horses were put through their paces as relaxing classical music was played over the public address system.
Dozens of members of the public were also keen to have a memento of the occasion, holding up camera phones to record their glimpse of the Queen.
The Queen had arrived to watch the Highland Class 64 event and her horse Balmoral Leia, a five-year-old grey dun mare, was named winner and was later announced as a supreme champion, she stayed for around an hour.
The monarch was last seen in public when she attended a service commemorating the life of her late husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, in March with senior royals and a congregation of hundreds.
She reached her Platinum Jubilee in February, overcame a bout of Covid after testing positive that month, and celebrated her 96th birthday on April 21 privately at her Sandringham estate.
Last October, she spent a night in hospital and over the following three months was under doctors’ orders to only conduct light duties so missed a number of prominent events.
The Queen has been using a walking stick in public since she attended a service marking the centenary of the Royal British Legion last October.