Queen rosy on first outing since lockdown
THE Queen shows she is in the pink of health on her first public engagement since lockdown.
The 94-year-old was able to show her face without a mask as doctors were satisfied that social distancing measures were to be strictly enforced during her visit, which was mostly outdoors.
She was joined by grandson Prince William, 38, at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down, near Salisbury, to meet those who had helped the UK’s response to the Covid-19 outbreak.
As an extra precaution, all 48 staff at the site who came into contact with the two royals were tested for coronavirus ahead of the visit and confirmed negative.
A royal source said: “The Queen has always believed in the importance of being seen.
“She has liaised constantly with the household staff to ensure she can continue her duties safely, despite the uncertainty of the current situation.”
It was a break from “HMS Bubble”, the nickname for her reduced household at Windsor Castle where she has spent most of her time since going into lockdown in March. Wearing a rose Stewart Parvin cashmere coat and silk dress and matching Rachel Trevor-Morgan hat, she showed she has lost none of her quick wit while signing the guest book, remarking: “Well it proves we’ve been here, doesn’t it?”
She and William also met staff involved in identifying and clearing up nerve agent novichok in the Salisbury attack in 2018.
They were also shown around the Forensic Explosives Laboratory, which has been crucial in providing evidence to the courts for terrorist cases including the attacks at Manchester Arena and Parsons Green Underground station in West London.
Her last public engagement outside a royal residence was the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey on March 9.
She knighted fundraiser Captain Sir Tom Moore in July in the grounds of Windsor Castle, where she also watched a mini socially distanced Trooping the Colour for her official birthday in June. But she has stayed busy behind closed doors with telephone audiences and video calls, and dealing with her red boxes of official papers.