Queen Elizabeth Steps Out for First Engagement Outside a Royal Residence Since COVID-19
Queen Elizabeth II has returned to royal duty.
Today, the 94-year-old sovereign ventured out for her first public engagement outside of a royal residence since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. The queen, joined by her grandson Prince William, visited the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory near Salisbury to formally open the Energetics Analysis Centre. Dressed in a traditional ensemble, she paired a pastel overcoat with a matching hat, black gloves, heeled loafers, and a leather top-handle purse.
During the engagement, Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Cambridge were greeted by the chief executive, Gary Aitkenhead, who gave the two royals a private tour of the center's Energetics Enclosure, where weaponry and tactics utilized in counterintelligence are displayed.
The queen and William also viewed a demonstration of a Forensic Explosives Investigation and met with staff who are employed in Counter Terrorism and Security, as well as scientists who are providing support to the U.K.'s pandemic response. Before departing the facility, the queen helped unveil a new plaque that will live at the center.
Though the queen has remained out of the public eye for the most part due to quarantine rules, she has managed a handful of appearances. In addition to today's visit to the center, Her Majesty stepped out over the summer to honor 100-year-old Captain Tom Moore for his immense fundraising efforts for COVID-19 relief in an official knighthood ceremony. And, of course, the queen was the guest of honor at her granddaughter Princess Beatrice's surprise wedding to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. Both events took place at Windsor Castle.
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