Queen Elizabeth spends night in hospital for tests, in 'good spirits,' palace says
Queen Elizabeth II is in "good spirits" after being released from the hospital following medical advice from her doctors to rest.
The 95-year-old queen returned to Windsor Castle on Thursday after she was hospitalized at the private King Edward VII’s Hospital in London on Wednesday afternoon for "some preliminary investigations," Buckingham Palace confirmed in a statement to USA TODAY.
The palace didn't offer any specifics on what tests were conducted, but the queen's hospitalization comes days after doctors recommended rest and she was seen using a cane.
The queen, Britain’s longest-lived and longest-reigning monarch, who is approaching her 70th year on the throne next summer, has cut back on her public engagements recently because of the pandemic and the death of her husband of 73 years, Prince Philip, last April.
She has generally enjoyed good health throughout her long life. She was last hospitalized in 2013, when she was 86, after experiencing symptoms of gastroenteritis.
The queen was scheduled to visit Northern Ireland this week for several engagements, but the palace announced Wednesday that she would instead heed "medical advice to rest for a few days" at Windsor Castle, where she has stayed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year.
“The Queen sends her warmest good wishes to the people of Northern Ireland, and looks forward to visiting in the future,'' the palace said.
The decision came just days after Elizabeth was seen using a walking stick at a major public event when attending a Westminster Abbey service marking the centenary of the Royal British Legion, an armed forces charity.
She had been photographed using a cane in 2003, but that was after she had knee surgery.
Despite the hospitalization, the queen is still scheduled to attend theUnited Nations climate change conference in Scotland next month, according to the royal website.
She will attend a reception at the conference, marking a rare public association of the monarch with a disputed global policy issue.
More than 100 world leaders, climate campaigners and activists from around the world, including President Joe Biden, are expected to gather for conference, hosted by the United Kingdom.
