The Queen has been in the news recently due to her mobility issues and the fact that she has been unable to attend a number of important imperial ceremonies.
The 95-year-old proved that she is still fit for her job by taking part in a digital engagement to commemorate the launch of a new hospital unit named after her.
Last Wednesday, the queen appeared via video call from Windsor Castle to formally launch the Queen Elizabeth Unit at the Royal London Hospital.
The queen met employees and patients as she paid homage to the NHS, indicating that she plans to continue to use technology to appear publicly without the demands of travel and being on her feet for lengthy periods of time.
“This specific portion where you’re standing, was it expressly created for the pandemic?” the Queen, who was full of questions for the hospital employees, questioned on camera. She seemed happy to be making the virtual visit, dressed brightly in a flowery yellow gown and wearing bold pink lipstick. When she heard how the 155-bed facility was built in only five weeks when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, she exclaimed, “Isn’t it incredible what can be done when needs are?”
Asef Hussain, one of the patients she visited, told her about visiting his friends and family through video conversations when he was in the hospital in 2020. The illness killed both his father and brother. After questioning Asef about his recuperation and learning that he was no longer in a wheelchair, the Queen responded, “I’m delighted you’re doing well.”
“This dreadful epidemic does make one extremely fatigued and drained, doesn’t it?” she asked. Sir Kenneth Olisa, Lord Lieutenant of Greater London, unveiled a plaque on behalf of the Queen to proclaim the facility open at the end of the visit.
Thankfully, she recovered quickly after experiencing “minor cold-like symptoms” and returned to work in early March. The engagement is one of many video visits the Queen has made lately, while other members of her family have resumed in-person engagements as life returns to normal. When Buckingham Palace confirmed in late February that the Queen had tested positive for COVID, there were serious fears about her health.
The monarch’s mobility concerns, on the other hand, seem to be a chronic issue. Although it has been stated that she does not want to be seen in a wheelchair, she has been spotted in public with a walking stick in recent appearances.
“As you can see, I can’t move,” she told one audience member in February. Since October of last year, her schedule has been drastically reduced, with Prince Charles increasingly representing her at big royal events.