Queen Elizabeth II speaks with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during an audience at the Windsor Castle on Monday.—AFP

       Wearing a patterned dress, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II greeted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at her Windsor Castle home on Monday, her first in-person engagement since falling ill with Covid-19.

       Although visibly frailer, she appeared smiling and laughing after the pair shook hands in front of a table with a large bouquet of yellow and blue flowers — the colours of Ukraine — in what could be seen as a subtle sign of support.

       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.

       While the queen was not seen with a walking stick she has been using, the Canadian premier later told reporters she was very interested in what was going on in Russia, adding that “she was as insightful and perspicacious as ever”.

       At a Downing Street news conference after meeting Johnson and Rutte, Trudeau said he congratulated her on becoming the first British monarch in history to reign for 70 years.

       “I was able to talk a little bit about the situations we’re facing and draw on her long experience for having seen much over these past decades,” he told reporters.

       Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2022