NEW DELHI: Queen Elizabeth II has tested positive for Covid-19 but aides said her symptoms were “mild”.
Announcing her first positive test, a Buckingham Palace statement said, “Her Majesty is experiencing mild cold-like symptoms but expects to continue light duties at Windsor over the coming week.
“She will continue to receive medical attention and will follow all the appropriate guidelines,” said the statement.
The Queen, 95, had been in contact with her eldest son and heir, the Prince of Wales, who tested positive last week, BBC reported.
It is understood a number of people have tested positive at Windsor Castle, where the Queen resides.
The queen’s heir Prince Charles, 73, tested positive for a second time for the coronavirus on February 10, two days after meeting his mother at Windsor Castle, west of London.
The queen — who is believed to be triple-vaccinated — resumed in-person audiences at the castle last week, but complained to one attendee of suffering from stiffness and was photographed holding a walking stick.
Keir Starmer, leader of the main opposition Labour party, tweeted: “Get well soon, Ma’am.”
Many said they were troubled by the news after the world’s longest-reigning monarch pulled out of a number of high-profile events and spent a night in the hospital last October, igniting fears about her health.
Julie and Rupert Wills, visiting Windsor to the west of London, said they loved the queen “to bits”, with Rupert respecting her ability to just “quietly get on with” things. Sanil Solanki, 43, described her as the nation’s mother.