Queen says virus left her 'tired, exhausted'

The United Kingdom's 95-year-old monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, felt "very tired and exhausted" after she was diagnosed with COVID-19 back in February.

The queen, who turns 96 on April 21, talked about her brush with the disease during a virtual visit to the UK capital's Royal London Hospital and its new, 155-bed Queen Elizabeth Unit, which was built in five weeks during the early days of the pandemic to keep up with increased demand.

During the visit, she spoke to a man who had recovered from a serious bout of the illness after seven weeks on a ventilator, who had lost his father and brother to the disease that is caused by the novel coronavirus.

The queen, who experienced "mild cold-like symptoms" during her own COVID-19 infection, said the illness did, however, leave her feeling "exhausted".

"This horrible pandemic," she added. "It's not a nice result."

The queen also asked a hospital chaplain, who had visited and offered religious support to dying people at the height of the pandemic, how people had reacted.

"It obviously was a very frightening experience to have COVID very badly, wasn't it?" she asked.

And she mentioned how sad it was that rules and conditions earlier in the pandemic meant people who were seriously ill in hospital could not have visitors, even visits from close relatives.

"Of course, not being able to see your relatives was very hard," she said.

A nurse told her: "We held their hands, we wiped their tears, and we provided comfort. It felt at times that we were running a marathon with no finish line."

The queen's health and "mobility issues" could mean she is seen much less than people expect this summer, The Express newspaper said, despite the fact that several huge engagements have been planned.

The paper said the fact that she attended the official opening of the hospital ward virtually should be interpreted as a signal that she plans to leave home far less often from now on.

The Guardian newspaper noted that the queen, whose husband, Prince Philip, died one year ago, has delegated many of her public appearances recently, with Buckingham Palace confirming that Prince Charles will represent her at Thursday's high-profile Royal Maundy church service.

However, the coming months could be especially challenging for the queen because she is about to mark the 70th anniversary of her ascension to the throne, her Platinum Jubilee, and many national events have been planned, especially around a four-day weekend at the beginning of June that will feature a birthday parade and a party at the palace.