The Queen Participates In First Video Call With Princess Anne

Jun 11, 2020 by apost team

In a historic move, the Queen took part in her first-ever video call this week to mark Carer's Week. Speaking with the Carer's Trust, Her Majesty was on a conference call with her daughter Princess Anne, as they spoke to the charitable organization about the challenges they're facing during the coronavirus pandemic. At 94-years-old, the Queen is truly showing no signs of slowing down!

During the 20-minute video call, the Queen and Princess Anne spoke to carers from the organization about their roles and duties, particularly during the current pandemic. 24-year-old Alexandra Atkins, who lives in Swansea and cares for her parents Keith and Helen, discussed the once-in-a-lifetime moment.

As reported by Hello!, Ms. Atkins stated:

"It was amazing enough to know I would be on a call with the Princess Royal as she has been [an] outstanding representative for us, but to find out the day before that The Queen would be there as well made me wonder if I had gone to another planet. We were actually going to be part of history. I couldn't believe it." Discussing how the Queen reacted to the novel technology, Ms. Atkins said, "she really took it in her stride."

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During the exchange, the Queen called what the organization does "extraordinary." Since 2011, Princess Anne has been President of the Carers Trust, which aims to give support to carers across the UK by highlighting their work to the public, giving them a voice, and by working with a network of partners. Before that, the organization was known as the Princess Royal Trust for Carers, which had been around since 1991.

Recorded in the Oak Room at Windsor Castle, the footage of the Queen looked very proper, with Her Majesty's floral dress matching the decor in the room. Another carer, 44-year-old Nadia Taylor from London, described the setting, saying:

"She was sitting in a very elegant room. She is quite formal in the way she speaks but I have to say I was personally struck about how warm she was."

Ms. Taylor is the chair of the Carers' Network, and further explained her phone call with the Queen and Princess Anne to Hello!:

"To have Her Majesty come on this call gives us so much extra validation, extra recognition to our role as unpaid careers [sic]. The problem for us is that we are invisible. All our work is done at home, out of sight and you are very isolated. It can be very difficult to find understanding [from] employers."

She also lauded Princess Anne for her ongoing work with the organization, stating:

"There was also a lot of warmth from the Princess Royal but then she has been championing us for 30 years. There was definitely a sense of sincere interest and for me it was something I shall never forget."

The call ended with the Queen telling everyone she was very impressed with what the organization has achieved already, and that she was very glad to join them. Consider that, 94-years-old and isolating amid a global pandemic, but she's still showing her support, even taking part in new technologies in order to stay connected.

What did you think of the Queen's first-ever video conference call? Let us know what you think and be sure to pass this story on to your friends and family.