Queen attends horse show in first public appearance in weeks

LONDON » Queen Elizabeth II attended the Royal Windsor Horse Show on Friday, watching her beloved equines from the comfort of a Range Rover before walking to her box in her first public appearance in person in weeks.

The monarch sat in the front passenger seat and spoke to a small group through the window after pulling up to the parade ground near Windsor Castle, where she has spent much of the past two years. The queen seemed relaxed and smiled while dozens of photographers a few feet away tried to capture the moment. The queen’s public appearances are being closely watched as Britain prepares to celebrate the monarch’s 70 years on the throne with four days of festivities June 2-5.

Elizabeth, 96, has curtailed her schedule in recent months as she recovered from COVID-19 and coped with unspecified difficulties in moving around.

STEVE PARSONS — PA VIA AP Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II is joined by Prince Edward and Sophie, right, the Earl and Countess of Wessex as they sit in the Royal Box at the Royal Windsor Horse Show, Windsor, England, on Friday.