THE Queen today carried out her first official engagement since being ordered to rest by doctors following a health scare.
Her Majesty, 95, hosted several virtual audiences at Windsor Castle after Palace aides told her to “cut back” on her “exhausting” schedule.
The monarch was forced to cancel a planned trip to Northern Ireland before spending a night in hospital for tests.
She was later discharged in “good spirits” and was said to be keen to get back to her desk.
It was believed her medical team acted out of caution to have her admitted to King Edward VII hospital in Marylebone on Wednesday.
And the overnight stay — her first in a hospital for eight years — was for practical reasons, and unrelated to coronavirus.
Today was the first time the head of state has been seen – albeit on a computer screen – since she hosted a busy evening reception for the global investment summit on October 19.
She cancelled her trip to Northern Ireland under strict orders to rest and faced preliminary tests in hospital on October 20.
The Queen wore a yellow dress and her three-strand pearl necklace as she met the ambassador from the Republic of Korea.
She was pictured smiling on a computer screen as she greeted Gunn Kim, who was dressed in Korean clothing including a traditional hat known as a gat.
The monarch is being looked after by the Medical Household, her expert team of royal physicians.
She is due to attend events in Scotland next week as part of a flurry of royal COP26 engagements involving the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge between November 1 and 5.
On the royal family’s website, the Queen is still listed as attending a reception on November 1 as part of the climate change conference.
She had a busy schedule of engagements in the first weeks of October following her return from Balmoral, and her hospital stay was kept a secret and only confirmed by the Palace when it was revealed by The Celeb Report.
The Queen was seen using a walking stick for the first time at a major engagement during a Westminster Abbey service on October 12.
Days later on October 21, she was said to be in “good spirits” after her hospital stay and back at her desk, undertaking light duties.
But she missed a church service at Windsor on Sunday.
Royal sources had briefed The Celeb Reportday Times that the Queen was “knackered” due to a busy social life and preference for late night television.
Buckingham Palace would not comment on whether the monarch has received her booster Covid-19 jab, but given her age it is likely she has already had it.
