Zoom of one’s own: Queen marks return to public life
WITH royal mourning for Philip officially at an end, the Queen has thrown herself back into public duties.
The monarch, who turned 95 last week, held two virtual audiences from Windsor Castle yesterday with dignitaries at Buckingham Palace.
Speaking via video link, she received Ivita Burmistre, the ambassador from Latvia, and Sara Affoue Amani, the new ambassador from Ivory Coast.
Dressed in a blue floral dress and wearing pearls, the Queen was ever the professional as she welcomed the two women to their posts. Her return came as a poll revealed how Prince Charles has experienced a popularity surge in the wake of his father’s funeral, with 58 per cent viewing him favourably.
A YouGov survey found the future king, who was praised for his emotional public tribute to Philip, saw the second-largest boost in positive opinion – a rise of nine points. This puts his net rating at 25.
Only Prince Edward enjoyed a higher surge, with a 13-point rise in popularity to 54 per cent. This puts his net rating at 35.
Prince Andrew remains the least popular senior royal, with a net rating of -69. However this is up six points on last month after he too spoke movingly about his father.
Harry, who was once a huge hit with the public, now has a net rating of -6 while Meghan is on -32.
The Queen is still the most popular royal,with a net popularity of 76, followed by Prince William on 68 and Kate on 67. Princess Anne follows on 58. And although the Queen is well beyond the age of retirement, two thirds of Britons want her to remain as monarch for the rest of her life. Public opinion on who should succeed her is split between Charles and William.