It's not often that the royals get overly candid about their personal lives, especially not when it comes to matters relating to health, but the Queen just bucked that trend during a recent video call with a group of NHS staffers and former patients of The Royal London Hospital.
Much has been said about Her Majesty's wellness lately, with the Palace scaling back her public appearances following a Covid diagnosis and issues with her mobility, so it's especially poignant to hear from the Queen herself that she found falling ill with the coronavirus to be a 'frightening experience'.
During the call, she opened up about being unwell some seven weeks ago and said, "It does leave one very tired and exhausted doesn't it, this horrible pandemic. It is not a nice result."
Speaking about her own experience with a fellow Covid sufferer, Her Majesty added with empathy, "It obviously was a very frightening experience to have Covid very badly, wasn’t it? And of course not being allowed to see your relatives was very hard, wasn’t it?"
She also took the time to praise hospital workers for their 'Dunkirk spirit' shown over the last difficult two years, remarking, "Thank goodness it still exists."
The Queen isn't the only member of the royal family to have fallen ill with Covid-19; her eldest son, Prince Charles, has contracted the virus twice (most recently in February) and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, has had it once.
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In terms of her most recent public appearance, Her Majesty was last seen out at Westminster Abbey on the 29 March as part of a moving memorial service for her late husband, Prince Philip. In a post about the event on the Queen's official Instagram account, it was explained that some elements of the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral which had to be removed due to the pandemic, were finally able to take place.
"The Service in particular paid tribute to The Duke of Edinburgh’s contribution to public life and steadfast support for the over 700 charitable organisations with which His Royal Highness was associated throughout his life," a caption said, alongside an image of the Queen singing a hymn with Prince Charles, Camilla, Prince William and Princess Beatrice.
"Some elements planned for the HRH’s Funeral last year, which were unable to go ahead due to Covid restrictions in place at the time, featured at the Service. This included @dofeuk Gold Award holders and representatives from the Cadet Force, who step lined the route into the Abbey."
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
