Queen meets Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

The Queen has held her first in-person engagement since catching COVID, meeting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The monarch held an audience with Mr Trudeau at Windsor Castle today, as he is in the UK for talks on the war in Ukraine with Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte.

The Queen, who usually takes a neutral stand on political matters, greeted Mr Trudeau in front of a vase of blue and yellow flowers and also wore a blue patterned dress, in what appeared to be a subtle message of support for Ukraine.

Blue and yellow are the colours of Ukraine’s national flag.

The Queen, 95, tested positive for coronavirus on 20 February, just days after Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall both contracted the virus.

The Queen has a strong bond with Canada as the Commonwealth nation has been her most frequent overseas destination.

She has visited more than 20 times, including a trip as a princess, but seven years ago she called time on her official overseas visits.

Mr Trudeau met the Queen several times as a young child in the 1970s as his father, Pierre Trudeau, was one of Canada’s longest-serving prime ministers.