Queen says Covid ‘does leave one very tired and exhausted’

The Queen, 95, has given some insight into her worrying Covid bout for the first time.

The Queen has revealed her worrying bout with Covid left her ‘very tired and exhausted’.

The 95-year-old monarch tested positive for the virus in February and was said to be suffering from ‘mild cold-like symptoms’ at the time.

Despite the illness, Buckingham Palace said she was determined to continue working and it was announced she had recovered nine days later.

She described her experience for the first time during a virtual visit to the Royal London Hospital earlier this week.

‘It does leave one very tired and exhausted, doesn’t it?’ the Queen told former Covid patient Asef Hussain and his wife Shamina. ‘This horrible pandemic. It’s not a nice result.’

Mr Hussain was the third member of his family to be admitted to hospital with Covid in December 2020. His brother died first and then his father, who passed away while Mr Hussain was on a ventilator.

Mrs Hussain told the Queen there were 500 friends and family from across the world on a Zoom call praying for her husband.

Her Majesty lightened the mood when she asked: ‘So you have a large family?’

The issue of families not seeing loved ones in hospital came up a number of times during the video call, and at one point, she said: ‘Of course not being able to see your relative was very hard.’

Mireia Lopez Rey Ferrer, a senior sister who has worked at the hospital in Whitechapel, east London, since 2008, told the Queen about their commitment to the patients.

She said: ‘As nurses we made sure that they were not alone. 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.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.