(CNN) — Elizabeth II’s health is a big talking point right now, not just because she is elderly but also because Buckingham Palace is releasing so little information about it.
So we thought we’d spend this week’s edition answering your biggest questions and concerns.
Yes, she is still recovering from Covid-19.
Last Sunday, the palace announced the 95-year old monarch had tested positive for Covid that same day and was experiencing “mild, cold-like symptoms.” It confirmed she was receiving “medical attention” and a royal source added that there had been an outbreak of the virus among Her Majesty’s team at Windsor.
It was made clear though that she was not out of action, as the statement added that she “expects to continue light duties at Windsor over the coming week.”
What are “light duties?”
This is a relatively new term that we are still getting used to, but our sense is that it means paperwork. Mentioning it reassures us that she is still well enough to work on the most important matters of state, such as signing off on new laws.
She also found time to send a letter of congratulations to the British Olympic team in the week and offer condolences to the people of Brazil following the devastating floods in Petrópolis.
But didn’t she have to cancel her meetings?
She canceled her weekly in-person audience with the Prime Minister on Wednesday but that’s because it would have broken Covid regulations at the time, which still required her to isolate. The Queen had a call with Boris Johnson instead.
On Tuesday, she postponed an unspecified number of video calls as she continued to experience symptoms and a source told CNN that they would decide on upcoming engagements nearer the time. She also canceled her video calls Thursday but we are told they are being rescheduled.
Why can’t she do video calls?
It may simply be because she doesn’t want to appear on camera when she feels unwell, but it also meant we weren’t able to see her for ourselves for the whole week.
Why is the palace being so secretive?
It wouldn’t accept that it is being secretive. Aides agree the public has a right to updates on their head of state but they also refuse to give a “running commentary” on her medical condition. That’s because they believe the family has the same right to patient confidentiality that the rest of us have.
Would they tell us if it got serious?
Well, the palace didn’t tell us when she was admitted to hospital last year until it was leaked to the media and even then, it wouldn’t specify what she was admitted for.
Our reading of that incident was that if there had been a procedure of some sort then we would have been informed as that was the general rule courtiers had for updates on Prince Philip’s hospital visits.
If it got really serious and the Queen became incapacitated temporarily, we suspect we won’t be told anything until the family and the Prime Minister were informed and a formal announcement is made about who will be acting on her behalf.
Is Covid her only health issue?
No. She also has some sort of mobility issue. At her last in-person audience with senior members of the military, she joked with them that she couldn’t move. CNN was told that was probably more to do with feeling stiff rather than an injury or other ailment. It would be more surprising if she didn’t feel creaky sometimes given that she’s approaching her 96th birthday in April. This week can’t have been comfortable for her when she couldn’t move around properly and felt like she had a cold. At least she’s out of isolation now, or we assume so as the isolation rules were scrapped in England on Thursday.
All this is a reminder that Elizabeth isn’t superhuman, and instances like this prompt the public to worry. The palace is constantly trying to balance the public’s right to updates on a publicly-funded monarch with her desire for some privacy.
In reality, the public will always want to know more but it’s that mystique that keeps us captivated by royalty, and it’s why we eagerly await pictures of her return to work and again keeping the country ticking over. History teaches us she won’t be held back for long.
This story was first published on CNN.com “Why aren’t we being told more about the Queen’s health?“.
