Queen showed solidarity with Ukraine during her latest engagement
The Queen signalled her support for the ongoing plight of the people of Ukraine in a meeting with the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Windsor Castle yesterday.
This was Her Majesty's first face-to-face meeting since contracting Covid-19 on 20 February, which saw the monarch undertaking only "light duties" as she focused on her recovery.
The Queen greeted Trudeau in front of a large bouquet of yellow and blue flowers, the colours of the Ukrainian flag. Royal insiders have indicated that this is unlikely to be a coincidence and comes after the Queen made a "generous donation" to the Disasters Emergency Committee appeal to help people fleeing the conflict in Ukraine.
At a press conference following his meeting with the monarch, who is also the Queen of Canada, Trudeau said :
"She was as insightful and perspicacious as ever, very interested in what is going on, asked me all sorts of questions about Canada.
"We had a really useful - for me anyway - conversation about global events, as we always do."
Trudeau, who is visiting for talks with the Boris Johnson about the Ukraine war, revealed that he discussed the conflict with the 95-year-old monarch: "I was able to talk about the situations we are facing and draw on her long experience from having seen much over these past decades."
The Queen's outward support for Ukraine is not the only show of Royal support. Last week Prince Charles and Camilla addressed a congregation of Ukrainian diplomats at a Ukrainian Cathedral in central London, pledging their support and donating money towards the cause. The Duke and Duchess of both Sussex and Cambridge have been equally vocal in their support of war-torn Ukraine.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Prince William and Kate for their support, tweeting, "Olena and I are grateful to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge that at this crucial time, when Ukraine is courageously opposing Russia's invasion, they stand by our country and support our brave citizens. Good will triumph."
The Queen has two high-profile events scheduled in the coming weeks: the Commonwealth Service on 14 March and the Duke of Edinburgh's memorial service on 29 March, both at Westminster Abbey.
Last month, she reached her Platinum Jubilee after 70 years on the throne.
