Queen Hosts Virtual Audience At Windsor Castle

Oct 26, 2021 by apost team

According to reports that came out of Buckingham Palace on Thursday night, Queen Elizabeth II, 95, is back at Windsor Castle after spending Wednesday night last week at a private hospital in London. The Thursday night announcement comes after the palace told the public that the monarch had "reluctantly accepted medical advice to rest," canceling her trip to Northern Ireland.

"Following medical advice to rest for a few days, the Queen attended hospital on Wednesday afternoon for some preliminary investigations, returning to Windsor Castle at lunchtime today, and remains in good spirits," Thursday's statement read, according to the BBC.

The BBC further reported that the queen was driven to King Edward VII's Hospital in Marylebone, where she was admitted overnight for "practical reasons."

Following her husband's death, royal commentators speculated that she would withdraw from some of her public duties, especially since she is nearing her late 90s. But the queen has continued to make appearances in Parliament, welcome prominent figures like Bill Gates and travel. Now that the queen is no longer being recommended to rest by medical staff, she has resumed her public engagements and duties. 

Today the queen has carried out her first official engagement since being in the hospital on Oct. 19, 2021. The queen held a virtual audience to welcome two ambassadors via video call. As the queen dialed in virtually from Windsor Castle, audiences and ambassadors could see the monarch's smile again.

Read on to learn more details about the video call and the fashionable outfit Queen Elizabeth II wore to greet the ambassadors. 

According to The New York Times, the palace's earlier announcement on Wednesday, Oct. 19, was not related to COVID-19 but was a result of overwork. After all, the queen is just returning to public life after quarantining at Windsor castle for more than a year during the coronavirus pandemic.

In early October, signs of the queen's age were on public display when she used a cane while attending a Westminster Abbey service. The Associated Press reported that it was the first time that the monarch had used a cane since her knee surgery in 2003.

Additionally, Oct. 19 was the first time that the queen has been admitted to a hospital since 2013, according to the BBC. At that time, she was suffering from symptoms of the stomach flu.

A day before Buckingham Palace's announcement that the queen had been admitted to the royals' private King Edward VII hospital, royal officials said that the monarch had canceled her trip to Northern Ireland after receiving medical advice to rest.

"Her Majesty is in good spirits and is disappointed that she will no longer be able to visit Northern Ireland, where she had been due to undertake a series of engagements today and tomorrow," Buckingham Palace said, according to The New York Times. 

The palace added that the monarch "looks forward to visiting" Northern Ireland in the future. In 2016, when the queen was last there, she visited the Giant's Causeway in County Antrim with her late husband, Prince Philip.

"To have engagements day after day after day, where you've got to remember people's names and think of something to say, that takes a lot of energy," said Penny Junor, a royal historian, in an interview with The Times. "It's like going to a wedding every day."

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The Times reported that the queen's former aides have confirmed that this isn't the first time that the monarch has canceled a trip due to illness. In fact, she no longer goes on international trips, preferring to let Prince Charles, 72, go in her stead.

The BBC reported that October has also been a busy month for the monarch, as she had at least 16 formal events, excluding the now-canceled two-day trip to Northern Ireland.

Last Tuesday, the queen even hosted a Global Investment Summit, where she welcomed tech entrepreneurs, financiers, and politicians. Pictures from the event show her greeting U.S. climate envoy John Kerry and other prominent figures like Bill Gates. 

The past few years have been difficult for the queen. Not only did she lose her husband of more than 70 years, but the royal family has also been embroiled in a series of scandals — not to mention the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite the stressful year and last week, the queen is back at it again after holding a virtual audience at Windsor Castle today. The queen greeted two ambassadors: the ambassador from the Republic of Korea, Gunn Kim, accompanied by HeeJung Lee, and the from the Swiss Confederation, Markus Leitner, accompanied by his wife, Nicole Leitner. Both ambassadors did their video calls from Buckingham Palace while the queen tuned in from Windsor Castle. A virtual audience was also present to greet and receive Leitner. 

The queen looked in much better spirits as she hosted the evening reception in style. She wore a yellow dress and three-strand pearl necklace in her iconic color-blocked style. The dress featured buttons down each side, as the queen was seen smiling in her first event since last week. 

Isn't it nice to see the queen back smiling? Let us know your thoughts, and be sure to pass this on to other royals fans you know!