Here’s why the Queen’s latest appearance sparked concerns around her health

Coronavirus changed life as we know it, with the pandemic confining us to our homes and imposing social distancing rules on how we work and socialise.

Even the royal family was forced to follow suit, with the Queen spending most of this year isolating in her Windsor Castle home.

The Queen will not be returning to Buckingham Palace this year, but she will be journeying around the UK for royal outings, one of which took place this week, accompanying her grandson Prince William to Porton Down.

'The Queen, accompanied The Duke of Cambridge, this morning visited the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), Porton Down, and formally opened the new Energetics Analysis Centre,' captioned an Instagram post of photographs of the event.

The appearance proved to be controversial however, as neither Prince William nor the Queen were seen wearing masks, prompting concerns for their health.

'No masks?', commented one follower, while another wrote: 'Please wear a mask around Her Majesty'.

'Please wear masks! This is not a great example to set,' wrote another royal fan.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson has weighed in on the controversy, announcing: 'Specific advice has been sought from the medical household and relevant parties, and all necessary precautions taken, working closely with Dstl.'

Well, that's that.