LONDON (AP) \u2014 Queen Elizabeth II tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday and is experiencing mild, cold-like symptoms, Buckingham Palace said, adding that she still plans to carry on working. The diagnosis prompted concern and get-well wishes from across Britain\u2019s political spectrum for the famously stoic 95-year-old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Britain\u2019s longest-reigning monarch and a fixture in the life of the nation, the queen reached the milestone of\u00a070 years on the throne on Feb. 6,\u00a0the anniversary of the 1952 death of her father, King George VI. She will turn 96 on April 21.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The palace said the queen, who has been fully vaccinated and had a booster shot, would continue with \u201clight\u201d duties at Windsor Castle over the coming week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe will continue to receive medical attention and will follow all the appropriate guidelines,\u201d the palace said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People in the U.K. who test positive for\u00a0COVID-19\u00a0are now required to self-isolate for at least five days, although the British government says it\u00a0plans to lift that requirement for England\u00a0this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both the queen\u2019s eldest son\u00a0Prince Charles, 73, and her 74-year-old daughter-in-law\u00a0Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall\u00a0contracted COVID-19 earlier this month. Charles has since returned to work. There are also thought to be several recent virus cases among staff at Windsor Castle, where the queen is staying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paul Hunter, an infectious diseases expert at the University of East Anglia, said the queen would likely be given one of several antiviral drugs that have been approved in the U.K. to treat COVID-19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf you do get them early enough, it does reduce the risk of severe disease developing, so I would imagine any doctor for a patient in their 90s would be considering giving these antivirals,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A host of senior British politicians sent get-well messages on Sunday. Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted: \u201cI\u2019m sure I speak for everyone in wishing Her Majesty The Queen a swift recovery from COVID and a rapid return to vibrant good health.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Health Secretary Sajid Javid wrote that he was \u201cWishing Her Majesty The Queen a quick recovery,\u201d while opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer wished the queen \u201cgood health and a speedy recovery. Get well soon, Ma\u2019am.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison also sent well-wishes. \u201cWe wish her a full recovery and there are few more resilient people than Her Majesty. She has demonstrated that over a long lifetime,\u201d Morrison said Monday, according to Australian Broadcasting Corporation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Elizabeth has been in robust health for most of her reign and has been photographed riding a horse as recently as 2020. In the past year she has been seen using a\u00a0walking stick, and in October she\u00a0spent a night in a London hospital\u00a0for unspecified tests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The queen\u2019s doctors ordered her to rest after that and she was forced to cancel appearances at several key events, including\u00a0Remembrance Sunday\u00a0services and the\u00a0COP26 climate conference\u00a0in Glasgow, Scotland in November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This month she returned to public duties and has held audiences both virtually and in person with diplomats, politicians and senior military officers. During one exchange caught on camera last week, she walked slowly with a stick and said \u201cas you can see I can\u2019t move\u201d in apparent reference to her leg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The queen delivered two televised messages to the nation early in the pandemic in 2020, and has sought to lead by example. She let it be known she had been vaccinated, and last year sat alone during the funeral of her husband of 72 years, Prince Philip, because of coronavirus restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine, said members of the royal family are probably more concerned than the queen about her situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI would guess that she will be matter-of-fact about the diagnosis in a way perhaps that the people around her are less matter-of-fact,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The queen has a busy schedule over the next few months of her Platinum Jubilee year, and is scheduled to attend in-person public engagements in the coming weeks, including a diplomatic reception at Windsor on March 2 and the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey on March 14.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On March 29, she has a remembrance service at Westminster Abbey for Philip, who died in April 2021 at 99.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Public celebrations of the Platinum Jubilee are scheduled over a long weekend June 2-5, with festivities including a military parade, a day of horse racing and neighborhood parties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The queen is the latest monarch from around the world to catch COVID-19. Queen Margrethe of Denmark, 82, and Spain\u2019s King Felipe VI, 54,\u00a0both tested positive\u00a0for the illness earlier in February and had mild symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her diagnosis comes after a difficult week for Britain\u2019s royal family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Tuesday the queen\u2019s second son,\u00a0Prince Andrew, settled a U.S. lawsuit\u00a0brought by a woman who claimed he had sexually abused with her when she was 17 and traveling with the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew strenuously denied the claim by Virginia Giuffre. He agreed in a settlement to make a substantial donation to his accuser\u2019s charity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Wednesday,\u00a0London\u2019s Metropolitan Police launched an investigation\u00a0into allegations that people associated with one of Prince Charles\u2019 charities offered to help a Saudi billionaire secure honors and citizenship in return for donations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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