Queen Elizabeth’sCOVID-19 diagnosiscomes during an increasingly “tumultuous time” for the royal family.
Despite the 95-year-old monarch celebrating her Platinum Jubilee this year, marking 70 years on the throne, 2022 is off to a rough start. In addition to her latest health setback, the Queen is also dealing with several royal family scandals, includingPrince Andrew’ssettlementwith his sexual assault accuser, aninvestigationintoPrince Charles' charity following cash-for-honors allegation and the 2020 departure ofPrince HarryandMeghan Markle.
“It’s a drip-feed of negativity for the monarchy,” says a palace insider in this week’s cover story. “I’ve not known such a tumultuous time as this.”
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A royal insider adds: “It just feels to be one thing after another for the Queen. It’s going to take a toll.”
The Queen no longer has her most trusted companion beside her following the death of her husband,Prince Philip, in April — just one of themany deaths of close confidantsthat the monarch has experienced in recent months.
“There’s a difference between being alone and being lonely,” says the palace insider. Factor in even mild symptoms of COVID, and it “must be hard,” adds the insider. “Whatever the symptoms, when you’re feeling below par, having to deal with the other problems is really hard.”
However, the Queen remains resolute even in the midst of difficult times. The Queen “is stoical and mentally strong,” adds the insider.
Queen Elizabeth.Joe Giddens/POOL/AFP via Getty
Still, the cumulative stress along with her age has taken a toll on the usually vibrantQueen Elizabeth. Just last week, shequipped that she “can’t move"as she gestured with her cane during an in-person meeting.
She’s also been unable to take part in one of her favorite leisurely activities: horseback riding.Queen Elizabethhasn’t been riding her beloved ponies in recent monthsdue to “discomfort.”
“In the past, one of the things that’s always been a way for her to cope is to be physically active,” says historian Amanda Foreman, author ofQueen Victoria’s Buckingham Palace. “And with that being curtailed, it makes it especially hard.”
Queen Elizabeth carrying her bag and her walking stick.Joe Giddens/POOL/AFP via Getty
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The Queen remains focused on celebrating her Platinum Jubilee in June with a long weekend of events.
“Her main concern will be to get back to be in fighting form to start the Jubilee celebrations,” says the insider. “She’s of the generation where you ‘suck it up.’ It is duty first.”
Adds royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith, author ofElizabeth the Queen:The Life of a Modern Monarch: “She’s very, very good at dealing with what life throws at her. She understands that she needs to project that positive image more than ever and go about her business.”
source: people.com
