Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II emerged from lockdown on Thursday to meet some members of the public, but unlike most of the country’s population when they are in shops and other indoor settings, she did not wear a mask.
The monarch, 94, was joined by Prince William, 38, at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down near Salisbury, in Wiltshire. The pair met scientists who worked in the aftermath of the 2018 Novichok attack, and are supporting Britain’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
During the visit, the Queen opened the new Energetics Analysis Centre and spoke with staff about the response to the poisoning in Salisbury two years ago.
The pair arrived separately by helicopter and by car. Although the two royals safely adhered to social distancing, neither wore a mask despite the Queen being in a high-risk group for suffering severe Covid-19.
But the monarch was able to ditch the mask because all 48 people who came into close contact with her and Prince William were tested for coronavirus beforehand. While this process was not completely foolproof, all 48 tests came back negative.
Britain went into a national lockdown on March 23 to quell the spread of the coronavirus. The Queen left her Buckingham Palace residence early in March in London before spending time in Windsor Castle with her husband Prince Philip, 98. They returned to the Palace this month.
The monarch’s decision not to wear a mask polarised pundits across the globe. Royal commentator and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s biographer Omid Scobie said he was worried about the signal her decision would send to international audiences.
"My two cents: While sensible and safe precautious were clearly made, I do worry that most people seeing the photos/videos won’t know the back story,” he said on Twitter.
"As the majority of the UK enters tighter restrictions, seeing leaders in masks would have been a strong visual."
But Buckingham Palace said she made the decision after consulting her medical team.
"Specific advice on this visit has been sought from the medical household and relevant parties, and all necessary precautions taken, working closely with Dstl," a royal source told Mirror Online.
"All [Porton Down] staff have also been involved in the UK’s response to Covid-19 so are well versed in the necessary precautions."
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
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Most F1 world titles
7 — Michael Schumacher (1994, ’95, 2000, ’01 ’02, ’03, ’04)
7 — Lewis Hamilton (2008, ’14,’15, ’17, ’18, ’19, ’20)
5 — Juan Manuel Fangio (1951, ’54, ’55, ’56, ’57)
4 — Alain Prost (1985, ’86, ’89, ’93)
4 — Sebastian Vettel (2010, ’11, ’12, ’13)
The specs
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
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Director: Kushan Nandy
Starring: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Bidita Bag, Jatin Goswami
Three stars
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
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Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Spare
Profile
Company name: Spare
Started: March 2018
Co-founders: Dalal Alrayes and Saurabh Shah
Based: UAE
Sector: FinTech
Investment: Own savings. Going for first round of fund-raising in March 2019
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Dir: R Balki
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Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
match info
Manchester United 3 (Martial 7', 44', 74')
Sheffield United 0
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
