Her Majesty Tests Positive for COVID-19

Buckingham Palace says the Queen is experiencing “mild cold-like symptoms.”

Queen Elizabeth
(Image credit: Getty Images)

 

Buckingham Palace announced this morning that the Queen has tested positive for COVID-19, and that Her Majesty is experiencing “mild cold-like symptoms,” according to a statement from the Palace.

“Buckingham Palace confirm that The Queen has today tested positive for Covid,” the Palace said in a short statement released Sunday morning. “Her Majesty is experiencing mild cold-like symptoms but expects to continue light duties at Windsor over the coming week.”

The statement concluded that “She will continue to receive medical attention and will follow all the appropriate guidelines.”

The Queen’s diagnosis follows her son Prince Charles’ second battle with COVID earlier this month; soon after his diagnosis, his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, also tested positive.

Her Majesty last met with Charles on February 8 at Windsor Castle, two days before he was diagnosed with COVID. Following Charles’ diagnosis, PEOPLE reported the Queen was being monitored but was not displaying any symptoms herself. Four days after Charles’ diagnosis, his wife Camilla also tested positive.

Her Majesty spent last week conducting engagements at Windsor Castle, including an in-person meeting with two senior military members, PEOPLE reported.

Her Majesty is believed to be fully vaccinated. She will turn 96 in April.

Rachel Burchfield
Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.