Queen Elizabeth Postpones Diplomatic Reception at the Advisement of The Foreign Secretary

The annual meeting was set for March 2.

The Queen is rearranging her schedule, once again. On Saturday, Buckingham Palace announced that the 95-year-old monarch will postpone the diplomatic reception that was set to be held at Windsor Castle on March 2, amid the conflict between the Ukraine and Russia.  

"The Queen has accepted the Foreign Secretary's advice that the Diplomatic Reception at Windsor on Wednesday 2nd March should be postponed,” the statement from the palace read.  

During the event, the queen and other members of the royal family were set to host 500 members of the diplomatic corps for the annual meeting. With the postponement coming as advice from the Foreign Secretary’s office, the situation has nothing to do with the royal’s health.  

Her Majesty tested positive for COVID-19 on Feb. 20, days after her son Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall tested positive for the virus. Last week, ET learned that the royal would carry on with “light duties” as she recovered. 

According to a Palace spokesperson, "The two virtual audiences that had previously been scheduled to take place today with the queen will be rescheduled for a later date. Her Majesty is continuing with light duties. No other engagements are scheduled for this week." 

ET has also learned that part of the monarch’s tasks have included keeping up with her red boxes, which contain government advisories and parliamentary papers at her desk. 

On Thursday, Buckingham Palace announced that the queen was forgoing any virtual events. However, a source confirmed to ET that she did have her weekly call with UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.  

Normally, the conversation would have been held in-person. However, due to the queen’s positive COVID test, the two spoke over the telephone.   

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