Inside Queen Elizabeth's Official Return To Work
Queen Elizabeth has returned to action. Her Majesty has recently been out of commission for nearly a month following a few health flare-ups. In case you missed it, early October saw the queen use a walking cane for the first time since her knee surgery in 2003. Soon after, she abruptly canceled a trip to Northern Ireland as she spent the night at London's King Edward VII's Hospital for "preliminary investigations" (via the Daily Mail).
She was then advised to rest up at the Windsor estate for two weeks, which would ultimately culminate with her return to public service on November 14 for Remembrance Sunday. Unfortunately, that did not come to fruition, as the queen would suffer a sprained back that would put her out of work for several more days. She would also go on to miss the General Synod, a first in the event's 51-year history.
Now, Queen Elizabeth is making her official return to duties under the proper medical advisement, albeit in a private setting.
What was Queen Elizabeth's first gig back?
God save the queen! Queen Elizabeth is now returning to "light duties," as ITV's Chris Ship notes after her terrifying health scares over the past month. Ship, ITV News' royal editor, took to Twitter on November 17 to make the announcement — sharing two pictures of Queen Elizabeth, adorned in a beautiful floral dress and a pearl necklace, as she received General Sir Nicholas Carter, who is now stepping down as the U.K.'s Chief of the Defence Staff.
In a follow-up tweet, Ship noted, "This is the Queen's first in-person engagement since she was seen at the government's Global Investment Summit on October 19," adding, "She has since pulled out of visits to Northern Ireland, COP26, Remembrance Sunday and the General Synod of the Church of England due to poor health."
In missing the General Synod for the first time in 51 years, Queen Elizabeth shared a poignant statement, noting, "None of us can slow the passage of time" (via ET Canada). She also added that "for people of faith, the last few years have been particularly hard, with unprecedented restrictions in accessing the comfort and reassurance of public worship. For many, it has been a time of anxiety, of grief, and of weariness." As the pandemic normalized Zoom meetings and digital conferences, Queen Elizabeth did express her appreciation for "digital forms of worship."