The Queen has decided to stop shaking hands with members of the public for the foreseeable future as a matter of ‘personal preference’.
Yesterday she was pictured meeting the Sri Lankan High Commissioner Saroja Sirisena and her husband, Dr Sudath Talpahewa, at Buckingham Palace.
The Queen, 93, was not wearing gloves but, unlike her audiences last week, there was no handshaking during the brief meeting in the 1844 room at her royal residence.
Yesterday Her Majesty was pictured meeting the Sri Lankan High Commissioner Saroja Sirisena and her husband, Dr Sudath Talpahewa, at Buckingham Palace. The Queen, 93, was not wearing gloves but, unlike her audiences last week, there was no handshaking during the brief meeting in the 1844 room at her royal residence
Ms Sirisena handed over her credentials, which the Queen received, and Dr Talpahewa bowed to the head of state from a distance as he was introduced.
Audiences are brief one-on-one meetings with the Queen which happen regularly throughout her working week, and she usually greets guests with a handshake.
Last week she was pictured for the first time wearing gloves during a palace investiture, where she met dozens of members of the public, although palace officials insisted that there was no change in policy.
But yesterday an aide confirmed to the Mail that while the royal household was still following government advice, which does not ban handshaking or large gatherings, it was ‘currently Her Majesty’s personal preference’ not to shake hands during the Coronavirus outbreak.
The Queen turns 94 next month, and the risk of more severe symptoms from the Covid-19 illness is greater for the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions.
England’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty, has said the death rate for people infected with coronavirus is ‘significantly ramped up’ among those over the age of 80.
On Monday the Queen and other senior royals did not shake hands with dignitaries, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, during the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey because of its policy to discourage the greeting.
Prince Charles was seen to offer the Hindu ‘namaste’ greeting, holding the hands together in the prayer position and raising them.
The Queen, who has carried out investitures since 1952, wore gloves for the first time as she handed an MBE to D-Day veteran Harry Billinge last week
Meanwhile Prince William could be seen on television making his own way down the same line and saying: ‘Thank you… can’t shake hands, but thank you.’
Later Prince Harry said farewell to singer Craig David, who also performed during the service, in his own indomitable way, ‘elbow bumping’ the star as the pair laughed.
Boris Johnson said yesterday that the move not to shake hands at the Abbey sent a ‘subliminal cue’ about the importance of hygiene.
The Prime Minister said: ‘We were all given an instruction not to shake hands and there’s a good reason for not shaking hands, which is that the behavioural psychologists say that if you don’t shake somebody’s hand then that sends an important message to them about the importance of washing your hands.
‘So there’s a subliminal cue there to everybody to wash your hands, which is, I think I’m right in saying … far more important.’
Handshaking is ‘a matter for individual choice’ but much less important than washing, he added.
Mr Johnson, who attended the event with his pregnant fiancée, Carrie Symonds, had previously said he was ‘shaking hands with everybody’ despite concerns about the spread of the virus.
Other senior royals including Charles, Camilla and William and Kate, who conducted a walkabout in Ireland last week, do not appear at the moment to be taking any greater precautions than normal for the time being.
The royal households say they are following government advice carefully and will change practices if and when required.