One of the things that annoyed me so much about Queen Elizabeth’s Covid protocols is that she made it abundantly clear that she didn’t give a crap. Even during the height of the pandemic, she was wandering around maskless and not taking any kind of precautions. Her staff constructed the “HMS Bubble” to protect her and she still got Covid back in February, shortly after Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall got Covid. It was a mess. And yes, the Queen has been fully vaccinated and she’s had at least one booster shot, but back in February, people were still supposed to be taking precautions because of Omicron. In any case, the Queen was doing a video-conference event where she spoke about how Covid left her feeling exhausted. Which has brought up a new round of speculation about how many events she’s going to miss in the coming months.
The Queen has revealed that having Covid has left her ‘tired and exhausted’. The 95-year-old monarch, who contracted the virus in February, made her admission in a video call with NHS staff and patients last week. She told them: ‘It does leave one very tired and exhausted, doesn’t it? This horrible pandemic. It’s not a nice result.’
When Buckingham Palace announced that the Queen had tested positive at Windsor, it was said that she had ‘mild cold-like symptoms’. While she had her weekly audience with the Prime Minister, she did not appear on scheduled video calls. Sources told the Daily Mail the cancellations were made because she sounded ‘croaky’ and ‘full of cold’ and not because her condition had worsened. She also pulled out of the annual Commonwealth Day service, albeit more due to mobility problems.
However it seems that like many who have contracted Covid, the Queen – who is triple-jabbed and likely to have had her second booster injection by now – is suffering from after-effects including extreme exhaustion. This will no doubt add to the mounting health problems of the last six months, which saw her needing hospital care last autumn and unable to conduct an engagement outside palace walls for six months.
While she has also pulled out of this week’s Maundy Service in Windsor for the first time ever due to her mobility and handed responsibility to the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, she has stoically continued video calls and audiences.
Four key events are said to be considered as priorities for the Queen to attend in-person, The Express reports, including the state opening of Parliament in May, the Derby at Epsom, the Trooping of the Colour in June and a special service at St Paul’s Cathedral that same month to mark her Platinum Jubilee.
This week the Queen – who will celebrate her 96th birthday at the end of next week – marked the opening of the Queen Elizabeth Unit at The Royal London Hospital, of which she is patron, talking to staff and one former patient.
That list of four key events… yeah, she’s not going to make it to all of that, but good luck to those staffers. Imagine prioritizing a horse race the same as the ceremonial opening of Parliament! It would be funny if she canceled the Parliament appearance and then went to the Derby. Something tells me she’ll likely skip Trooping as well, or they’ll just do some variation at Windsor, where she’s seated the whole time. As for the Queen feeling the long-term effects of Covid… I believe she is. I also believe that her health was already compromised for months before she got Covid, and she’s just days away from turning 96. Why she doesn’t just retire and allow Charles to take over, I will never know.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- Queen Elizabeth II leaves Sandringham House, which is the Queen’s Norfolk residence, after a reception with representatives from local community groups to celebrate the start of the Platinum Jubilee. The Queen came to the throne 70 years ago this Sunday when, on February 6 1952, the ailing King George VI – who had lung cancer – died at Sandringham in the early hours.,Image: 659601837, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Joe Giddens / Avalon
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- Queen Elizabeth II cuts a cake to celebrate the start of the Platinum Jubilee during a reception in the Ballroom of Sandringham House, which is the Queen’s Norfolk residence. The Queen came to the throne 70 years ago this Sunday when, on February 6 1952, the ailing King George VI – who had lung cancer – died at Sandringham in the early hours.,Image: 659601877, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Joe Giddens / Avalon
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- Queen Elizabeth II cuts a cake to celebrate the start of the Platinum Jubilee during a reception in the Ballroom of Sandringham House, which is the Queen’s Norfolk residence. The Queen came to the throne 70 years ago this Sunday when, on February 6 1952, the ailing King George VI – who had lung cancer – died at Sandringham in the early hours.,Image: 659602010, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Joe Giddens / Avalon
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- Queen Elizabeth II with Rear Admiral James Macleod (right) and Major General Eldon Millar as she meets the incoming and outgoing Defence Service Secretaries during an in-person audience at Windsor Castle. Rear Admiral Macleod relinquished his appointment as Defence Services Secretary as Major General Millar assumed the role.,Image: 662999385, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Steve Parsons / Avalon
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- Queen Elizabeth II speaks during an audience at Windsor Castle when she met the incoming and outgoing Defence Service Secretaries.,Image: 662999435, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Steve Parsons / Avalon
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- Queen Elizabeth II receives Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during an audience at Windsor Castle, Berkshire.,Image: 666793894, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Steve Parsons / Avalon
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- Embargoed to 2230 Thursday March 24 Queen Elizabeth II smiles as she arrives to view a display of artefacts from British craftwork company, Halcyon Days, to commemorate the company’s 70th anniversary in the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle, Berkshire. Picture date: Wednesday March 23, 2022. . The Queen viewed a selection of hand-decorated archive enamelware and fine bone china, including their earliest designs from the 1950s.,Image: 672804669, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- Embargoed to 2230 Thursday March 24 Queen Elizabeth II meets Pamela Harper (hidden) and Dr Peter Harper from British craftwork company, Halcyon Days as she views a display of artefacts to commemorate the company’s 70th anniversary in the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle, Berkshire. Picture date: Wednesday March 23, 2022. . The Queen viewed a selection of hand-decorated archive enamelware and fine bone china, including their earliest designs from the 1950s.,Image: 672804696, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- Embargoed to 2230 Thursday March 24 Queen Elizabeth II meets Pamela Harper (right) and Dr Peter Harper from British craftwork company, Halcyon Days as she views a display of artefacts to commemorate the company’s 70th anniversary in the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle, Berkshire. Picture date: Wednesday March 23, 2022. . The Queen viewed a selection of hand-decorated archive enamelware and fine bone china, including their earliest designs from the 1950s.,Image: 672804698, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
I imagine A lot of things would leave any 96 year old tired and exhausted. Honestly she must be very strong to have recovered at her age. Not thats its unlikely the Queen of England had access to other mediciness and treatments not available to just anyone.
She won’t retire and let Charles take over because the way Charles is gonna treat Andrew when he gets the crown will kill her.
Will the Platinum Jubilee be as big of a celebration as the Diamond Jubilee?
I’ve seen Covid leave 40 something year olds exhausted for weeks so I have no doubt it did a number on a 96 year old. And again, she’s 96 year old. I wouldn’t hedge bets on her appearing at events that are even 2 weeks or something away because she can go any minute (not trying to be morbid or wish death on her but like I said, she’s 96 – a cold most of us could shrug off could be deadly to her).
I was exhausted for weeks after having COVID, and overall I had a pretty mild case. I looked it up and apparently women are more susceptible to the lingering exhaustion/fatigue post-COVID. And at any rate the queen is 96, I’m sure it wiped her out.
As for the high-priority events…I do think we’ll see her at the opening of Parliament with Charles. I also think we’ll see her at the Trooping, but she may just do a balcony appearance, not be part of the parade and all that. I know they said she’s permanently in Windsor now, but I would not be surprised if she moves back to BP for a period of time in June to make some of those events easier on her.
All What you said happened to me, including left over Parosmia, et al. I am over a year and I have hot recovered fully from that.
I have now hypothyroidism, which no-one in my close family has, who k ows if this is related to long covid.
I am hearing from a lot of people who are getting Covid right now that fatigue is something they are dealing with. And they are in their 40s so I can only imagine what it does to a 95 year old woman.
My personal experience with elderly relatives and their friends is that many of them slow down in their 80s. If they have a medical incident that sends them to the hospital (think hip fracture, stroke, cancer, uti), they often pull through, but for most of my relatives this negatively impacts their decision making (often we realized this in retrospect). They have a bit more difficulty remembering the right word or they become more susceptible to a scam that they would have seen through before their illness. It impacts their ability to plan and they wind up staying too long at home, when that is no longer the best place for them. Most of my relatives do not have dementia, it’s just that they aren’t as sharp as they once were, and every medical emergency exacerbates their mental “decline.”
I have absolutely no idea what the queen of England’s mental state is, and if this applies to her. However she’s lost her husband, which must have been very difficult emotionally. She’s also had that mysterious health incident that sent her to the hospital and she’s had Corona. All of that is destabilizing, especially for old people. She should (have long ago abdicated) step down. It’s farcical to believe she can perform her duties adequately anymore.
100% correct on this. whereas healthy people recover from serious illness, injury, cancer, etc and get back to baseline, for a very old person the slope of “baseline” is downward, so “recovery” often means no more than 80% of previous baseline, and a subsequent illness recovers to 80% of that and so on. Generally an event like an admission for sepsis, a hip fracture, etc, is a pretty good predictor of mortality within 6-12 months.
she has a strong longevity gene. her mom lived to 101 (but the Queen Mum was pretty much pickled by the time she was 40.) As frail as she is physically it’s absurd to think that she retains the mental acuity of 10 or even 5 years ago.
This is diverting the attention off Andrew. It’s what they always do. If there’s push back about someone or thing in that family, they wheel her or a story about her out.
And I don’t believe she, charles or william got covid. Cause they all came back like it was nothing or nothing happen. That’s just me.
I got a mild case of covid and was left feeling exhausted for a couple of days, I am a relatively healthy person in my early 30’s. I cannot imagine going through the same symptoms at 95.
She can do Trooping. She’ll be driven by horse carriage to Horse Guards and she then will sit and watch the parade as usual. The Epsom Derby and the Parliament speech would require too much walking so she’ll probably drop out of those events. If there’s no side entrance to St. Paul’s she will skip the service as well. I think it’s interesting that the Palace decided to release this video. I think they know the Queen effed up with the memorial and sent out that video to regain sympathy from the public.
Are we sure she can ride in a carriage? If she really suffered a sprained back a few months ago, seems like jolting about in a carriage wouldn’t be the best display of her to the public.
She is probably hopped up on meds and sleeping most of the day. Most 96 year olds I know are like this. She is too tired to leave the “house” (ie palace) so they keep canceling events. It’s gotten to the point that everyone knows she is super unwell and her health is in poor shape, even international news is speculating openly. Nobody believes the palace spokespeople anymore. They don’t want to come out and say she is dying to give her privacy and the illusion she is just fine but the world at large is smarter than the “palace courtiers.”