The Queen has held her first in-person meeting since her son, Prince Charles, tested positive for Covid.
It had been feared that the monarch herself had contracted the virus after seeing Charles two days before it was confirmed he was infected.
But the Queen was up and about meeting the incoming and outgoing defence services secretaries at Windsor on Wednesday.
It suggests she didn’t have Covid although the UK’s self-isolation rules currently allow a person to leave quarantine after five full days, if they test negative on a lateral flow test for two days straight.
Buckingham Palace has refused to confirm whether the Queen tested positive or negative, citing medical privacy, and said last week only that she was not displaying any symptoms.
The 95-year-old monarch, who held a walking stick during the meeting, met the incoming Defence Services Secretary Major General Eldon Millar, and his predecessor Rear Admiral James Macleod.
The official engagement, which had already been set in the Queen’s diary, was also the first time she had been seen since her second eldest son Prince Andrew settled his civil legal case in New York.
He is facing a multi-million pound payout – rumoured to be £12 million – after Virginia Giuffre sued him, claiming she was trafficked by paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, Andrew’s friend, to have sex with the royal when she was 17.
Just as the Queen began the meeting, the Metropolitan Police also confirmed that it had opened an inquiry into a ‘cash for honours scandal’ involving Charles’ charity, The Prince’s Foundation.
Clarence House has previously said Charles has ‘no knowledge’ of the alleged controversy.
Despite her challenging week, the Queen looked in good spirits, wearing a floral dress to greet the dignitaries.
She posed for pictures in front of her coffee table that was adorned with pictures of her great-grandchildren as well as posh chocolates and flowers.
The Defence Services Secretary is a member of the Royal Household, and they are the official link between the Queen and the Secretary of State for Defence and the Chiefs of Staff on all matters concerning the monarch’s relationship with the armed forces.
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Maj Gen Millar is assuming the role after his predecessor Rear Admiral Macleod completed his three-year term.
Likely to be top of the list of matters the Queen needs to discuss with Maj Gen Millar is what to do with Andrew’s military titles after they were stripped from the duke due to the civil case.
His royal replacements in eight British regiments – including the prestigious post of Colonel of the Grenadier Guards – have yet to be announced.
Many of Prince previous military roles have also yet to be passed on to other members of the family.
MORE: Virginia Giuffre ‘has to wait before revealing all about Prince Andrew scandal’
MORE: New headache for royals as Prince Charles’s charity is investigated by police
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