Queen Elizabeth II greets Canadian PM in person after COVID-19 scare
March 7, 2022, 5:48 pm

Queen Elizabeth II greets Canadian PM in person after COVID-19 scare

This afternoon The Queen received the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, for an Audience at Windsor Castle (File photo: The Royal Family official Facebook page)

The Arab News reported, citing the AFP, Queen Elizabeth II met visiting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday, in her first in-person engagement since falling ill with Covid-19.

The 95-year-old monarch, who is also queen of Canada, chatted with Trudeau after he jetted in for talks on the conflict in Ukraine with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte.

Buckingham Palace announced on February 20 that the queen had tested positive for coronavirus and she was forced to cancel a series of appointments with foreign diplomats.

News that she had “mild” symptoms of Covid-19 heightened fears for her health that have lingered since she had an unscheduled overnight stay in hospital last October.

She was forced to slow down on medical advice and canceled a number of public engagements, including hosting world leaders at the UN climate change summit last November.

Queen Elizabeth-Britain's Queen Elizabeth (File photo: Shutterstock)

Her public appearances have become rarer since, and in one recent audience she complained of mobility problems.
On Monday, the queen, wearing a patterned dress, greeted Trudeau at her Windsor Castle home, west of London, and was not seen with a walking stick she has been using.

Although visibly frailer, she appeared smiling and laughing after the pair shook hands.

Queen Elizabeth recovers to carry out virtual engagements

Her eldest son and heir, Prince Charles, told members of the public on a royal visit last week that she was now feeling “a lot better.”

The queen, who is celebrating her record-breaking 70th year on the throne, has visited Canada more than 20 times and in the 1970s met a young Trudeau when his father, Pierre, was prime minister.

She returned to public engagements last week, hosting a number of new foreign ambassadors by videoconference, and is due at two public events next week and later this month.

Queen Elizabeth tests positive for Covid-19

It should be noted that next Monday, she is scheduled to attend the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey in central London and a memorial for her late husband at the same venue on March 29.

Source: arabnews

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.