Queen Elizabeth has Covid-19, symptoms are mild

LONDON • Britain's 95-year-old monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, tested positive for Covid-19 yesterday, but her symptoms are "mild" and she intends to continue with light duties at her Windsor Castle residence, aides said.

The news comes after Prince Charles, the Queen's eldest son and heir, tested positive on Feb 10, two days after meeting his mother at Windsor.

No information was given then on whether Queen Elizabeth had herself taken a test.

She resumed in-person audiences at the castle last week, but complained to one attendee of suffering from stiffness.

"Buckingham Palace confirm that the Queen has today tested positive for Covid," a statement from the palace said.

"Her Majesty is experiencing mild cold-like symptoms but expects to continue light duties at Windsor over the coming week," it said. "She will continue to receive medical attention and will follow all the appropriate guidelines."

While normally secretive about the Queen's health, the palace has previously confirmed that she is fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

The health of the Queen, the world's oldest and longest-reigning monarch, has been in the spotlight since she spent a night in hospital last October for an unspecified ailment and then was advised by her doctors to rest.

The announcement of the Queen's illness came a day before British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was set to lift remaining Covid-19 restrictions for Britain.

Mr Johnson is expected to announce as soon as today that people testing positive for Covid-19 will no longer have to self-isolate and the government will also wind down its free testing programme.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS, BLOOMBERG