LONDON : Queen Elizabeth has tested positive for Covid-19, renewing attention on the 95-year-old monarch’s health.

       The queen, who recently became Britain’s longest reigning monarch, is experiencing “mild cold-like symptoms," Buckingham Palace said in a statement on Sunday.

       “She will continue to receive medical attention and will follow all the appropriate guidelines," the palace said, and is expected to continue light duties over the coming week.

       The announcement comes after the queen came into contact with her son Prince Charles, who earlier tested positive for Covid-19, though it is not clear whether she contracted the virus from him. The UK government is preparing to remove remaining pandemic restrictions, including the legal requirement to self-isolate after testing positive.

       Last year, the queen spent a night in hospital and pulled out of several engagements after being advised to rest by doctors—a rare instance in which she has stepped back from public duties owing to ill health. Her husband, Prince Philip, died in April, at 99.

       The queen carried out her first major public engagement for more than three months on earlier this month, meeting charity workers on the eve of the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne.

       Buckingham Palace is planning an elaborate program of events to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee, culminating in a four-day public holiday in June 2.

       The celebrations come at an awkward time for the monarchy.

       Prince Andrew, the queen’s second son, last week settled a federal sex-abuse lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre, one of Jeffrey Epstein’s most prominent accusers, avoiding the prospect of a potentially embarrassing trial.

       The royal, who is ninth in line to the throne, was recently stripped of his military affiliations and patronages, as Buckingham Palace sought to distance itself from the legal battle.

       Separately, the Metropolitan Police said last week it would investigate allegations that Prince Charles’s charity offered a Saudi national help to obtain honors in return for donations.

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       Clarence House, the official London residence of Prince Charles, has said he had no knowledge of the alleged offer of honors.

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