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CoronavirusQueen Elizabeth II

The Queen telephones the Archbishop of Canterbury to discuss the Church’s response to the pandemic

The Queen held a telephone audience with the Archbishop of Canterbury on Tuesday. As Sovereign, Her Majesty is also styled as Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England. During the call, Justin Welby updated the monarch on how the Church of England has been coping during the pandemic.

Welby tweeted a picture of himself on the phone with Her Majesty and wrote: “It was a great honour to have a telephone audience with Her Majesty The Queen this afternoon.”

“I was able to update her on the work of the Church of England throughout the pandemic and wish her a happy Easter. May God continue to bless and protect her and her family.”

The Royal Family’s official Twitter account retweeted the post which included an image of the Archbishop speaking to the 94-year-old Queen over the phone. The monarch has spent the majority of the past year at Windsor Castle and was recently reunited with the Duke of Edinburgh after being his month long admission to hospital.

The 99-year-old Duke had a successful procedure on his heart just three months ahead of his 100th birthday in June. Initially being treated at King Edward VII’s Hospital in London, the Duke was moved to St Bartholomew’s before returning to King Edward VII’s to recover from surgery.

The Duke and The Queen moved to Windsor in March 2020 to be tended to by a reduced household staff of about 20 people. During that time, The Queen has delivered three televised addresses reassuring people that we will overcome the virus. Both the Duke and The Queen have received their first dosage of the vaccination. It will not be made public knowledge when the couple receive their second dosages.

About author

My name is Sydney Zatz and I am a University of Iowa graduate. I graduated with a degree in journalism and sports studies, and a minor in sport and recreation management. A highlight of my college career was getting the chance to study abroad in London and experiencing royal history firsthand. I have a passion for royals, royal history, and journalism, which led me to want to write for Royal Central.