The Queen has held her first in-person engagement since recovering from Covid-19, welcoming Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Windsor Castle.
The royal, who celebrated 70 years on the throne in February, was pictured in the castle’s Oak Room wearing a blue patterned dress and smiling as she shook hands with Trudeau on Monday.
She was not carrying the walking stick she has been using of late.
Trudeau is visiting the UK to discuss Russia’s war on Ukraine with Boris Johnson and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
Last week, the Disaster Emergency Committee revealed that the Queen, alongside Prince Charles and Prince William had made a “generous donation” to its appeal to help those displaced by Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
The DEC did not disclose how much the Queen had donated when approached for comment by the Independent.
The meeting with Trudeau marks the first time the monarch, who is also Queen of Canada, has been seen in public since testing positive for Covid-19 on 20 February.
At the time, Buckingham Palace said she had “mild, cold-like symptoms” and would be carrying out light duties with virtual audiences.
Concerns for the Queen’s health have risen in recent months after she spent a night in hospital in October 2021.
Following the hospital stay, in November she pulled out of attending the Cop26 climate summit, the Festival of Remembrance and the Remembrance Sunday Cenotaph service due to a sprained back. She also missed the Church of England’s General Synod.
Her Majesty acknowledged the downward shift in her physical health during a meeting with Defence Services Secretary Major General Eldon Millar, and his predecessor, Rear Admiral James Macleod, at Windsor Castle last month.
When asked how she felt by Macleod, the Queen replied: “Well as you can see, I can’t move.”
The Queen is due to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee with a long weekend of festivities in June.
The four-day spectacle, from 2-5 June, is set to include a Platinum Jubilee Pageant through London, a party at Buckingham Palace and the Queen’s birthday parade, Trooping the Colour.
