Queen Elizabeth appears to be suffering from long COVID, after saying her tussle with the virus had left her “very tired and exhausted.” Long COVID is defined as still feeling aftereffects of the virus, such as exhaustion, weeks or months after infection. The monarch contracted the virus in February and the palace has consistently sought to play down the extent of her illness, saying only that she had mild symptoms and a “croaky” voice. She insisted that she would continue to work, holding meetings with Prime Minister Boris Johnson via video link. However it now appears that the monarch perhaps suffered more than she first let on, telling National Health Service staff in a video call that “It does leave one very tired and exhausted, doesn’t it? This horrible pandemic. It’s not a nice result.” The queen, who turns 96 next month, has massively cut back on her scheduled live appearances since she was diagnosed with COVID, and this week will not attend a traditional pre-Easter church service in which she hands out “Maundy Money” to ex-servicemen, instead sending Charles in her place for the first time ever. She is believed to be conserving her strength to give her the best chance of attending the summer’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations marking her 70 years on the throne.