The Queen has made her first public statement since testing positive for Covid

Signed "Elizabeth R"

Queen Elizabeth is continuing to plough on with her royal duties, despite having tested positive for coronavirus on Sunday. The monarch, who Buckingham Palace said is experiencing “mild cold-like symptoms,” took time out of her recovery to release a statement congratulating Team GB athletes who competed at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

The congratulatory message, which was posted to the Royal Family’s official website, was signed “Elizabeth R” and addressed the Team GB women’s and men’s curling teams. The female curling team secured Team GB’s first gold medal at the Beijing 2022 Olympics on Sunday, while the men’s team landed a silver medal yesterday.

She wrote, “I send my warmest congratulations to the Team GB Women’s Curling team on your outstanding performance in winning the Gold Medal at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, following the Silver Medal achieved by the Men’s Curling team yesterday.”

“I know that your local communities and people throughout the United Kingdom will join me in sending our good wishes to you, your coaches and the friends and family who have supported you in your great success,” she finished.

The short but sweet message was the first public message the Queen has made since news of her coronavirus diagnosis was made public. Yesterday, the 95-year-old also addressed the tragic flooding in the Brazilian city Petrópolis in another statement posted to Twitter, saying she was “deeply saddened” by the news. 

She added, “My thoughts and prayers are with all those who have lost their lives, loved ones and homes, as well as the emergency services and all those working to support the recovery efforts.”

According to Buckingham Palace, despite her illness the Queen “expects to continue light duties at Windsor” this week and was receiving medical attention. Prime Minister Boris Johnson also wished the Queen “a swift recovery from Covid and a rapid return to vibrant good health.”

Sadly, the Queen isn’t the only member of the Royal Family to have caught the coronavirus. Prince Charles, who she has recently been in contact with, also tested positive for Covid last week along with his wife Camilla Parker-Bowles, the Duchess of Cornwall. According to the BBC, Prince Charles had met with Queen Elizabeth two days prior to his positive coronavirus test.