Buckingham Palace Just Confirmed The Queen Is Back To Business As Usual

Queen Elizabeth may be suffering from COVID-19, but she’s continuing on with her work. The 95-year-old monarch held her weekly meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson via telephone on February 23, Buckingham Palace said (via Entertainment Tonight). Buckingham Palace also revealed that Elizabeth will continue to perform “light duties” as she recovers from her infection. Per People, Elizabeth speaks with Johnson every week and has done so with every prime minister since her reign began 70 years ago.

Elizabeth’s diagnosis has become a contentious point in Johnson’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic across the pond. According to The New York Times, Johnson is set to abandon all COVID-19 restrictions in the U.K, saying its citizens “should learn to live with this virus.” However, his announcement was made before Elizabeth’s diagnosis was announced. Johnson later sent his well wishes to Elizabeth and wished her “a swift recovery” from the virus.

It remains unclear what Elizabeth thinks of Johnson’s pandemic decisions, but the queen has had a rocky relationship with the prime minister as of late. In January, Johnson’s office apologized to Elizabeth after it was revealed that two parties were held by his associates on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral, per Bloomberg. Gatherings were not permitted at the time and Johnson called the actions “deeply regrettable.”