Keeping up with the times! Queen Elizabeth II took part in her first public video chat ahead of her 94th birthday parade.
Her Majesty and her daughter, Princess Anne, participated in a Webex call with care workers from the Carers Trust to mark Carers Week 2020. The royal family’s Twitter account shared a nearly two-minute clip on Thursday, June 11, giving fans a rare glimpse of the queen in quarantine amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s interesting listening to all your tales and stories,” Elizabeth said while dressed in a floral outfit. “I’m very impressed by what you have achieved already. I’m very glad to have been able to join you today.”
The monarch dialed in to the 20-minute conference call from a sitting room at Windsor Castle in Berkshire, England, on June 4, according to the Daily Mail, but the royal family did not share the news until Thursday morning. Meanwhile, Anne, 69, phoned in from her country home, Gatcombe Park in Gloucestershire, England.
“I think we all recognize that we know carers somewhere,” said the Princess Royal, who is patron of the Carers Trust. “Maybe we have stopped and wondered how on earth we can help.”
To mark #CarersWeek2020, The Queen and The Princess Royal spoke to a group of carers who are supported by The @CarersTrust to find out more about the challenges they face. pic.twitter.com/ieMyPWlNeV
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) June 11, 2020
While this is the first time Elizabeth has publicly taken part in a video chat, she has had several with her family in recent months amid the global crisis. Most recently, a source told Us Weekly that Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and their 13-month-old son, Archie, video-chatted with the queen on her birthday.
Elizabeth turned 94 on April 21, but she celebrates her birthday every year on the second Saturday of June with the Trooping the Colour parade. This year, the over-the-top event was canceled due to the lockdown in the U.K. However, a smaller and shorter military ceremony is still set to take place on Saturday, June 13, at Windsor Castle, where the sovereign and her husband, Prince Philip, have been staying since March.
It will be the second birthday celebration this week for the couple, who married in 1947 and are also the parents of Prince Charles, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. On Wednesday, June 10, Philip enjoyed a low-key 99th birthday at their home away from home.
