REUTERS
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tried to meet with Queen Elizabeth while he was suffering from COVID symptoms, a new book confirms. According to that book, written by Anthony Seldon and Raymond Newell, and titled Johnson at 10: The Inside Story, early on in the pandemic Johnson sought to hold his weekly meet-up with the monarchist despite exhibiting symptoms of the deadly virus. He was “eager not to be restricted by the new laws or his apparent symptoms, to the dismay of Palace officials deeply concerned at the risk of exposing the elderly Queen to the virus,” the authors reported. Ultimately, the prime minister was convinced to hold the meeting over the phone, but “afterwards the Queen turned to an aide and commented that she couldn’t hear a word of what Johnson had said, he was coughing so much.” The Mirror originally reported that a sickly Johnson had sought the royal meeting, but at the time 10 Downing officials branded the story “completely untrue.”