Queen takes coronavirus precaution and wears GLOVES for investitures ceremony

0
254

THE Queen today took precautions against coronavirus – wearing GLOVES for the investitures ceremony.

The 93-year-old donned the white gloves for the Buckingham Palace event as the number of people diagnosed in the UK rose to 51.

Read our coronavirus live blog for all the latest news and updates

The Queen today wore gloves for the Buckingham Palace ceremony -pictured shaking hands with actress Wendy Craig
The Queen does not normally wear gloves - pictured here in February
The Queen does not normally wear gloves for investiture ceremonies – pictured here in February

While the royal often does wear gloves for outings, she does not normally wear them for the investiture ceremonies held at Buckingham Palace.

In fact, just two weeks ago the Queen was pictured at another investiture ceremony at the palace without gloves.

But in an elegant cream outfit paired with the white gloves today, the Queen looked in good spirits as she recognised worthy Brits including actress Wendy Craig and D-Day vet Harry Billinge.

The apparent extra precautions come after Public Health England said shaking hands won’t spread the virus but people will need to wash their hands regularly.

Buckingham Palace confirmed it was following government advice in the response to coronavirus fears.

The creative director of The Queen’s official glove-maker, previously said the wardrobe staple helps to protect Her Majesty from the dirt and germs that comes with shaking people’s hands everyday.

Explaining why The Queen prefers gloves, Genevieve told Good Housekeeping: “Number one: style. Number two: practical.

“They’re necessary because if you’re The Queen, you’re shaking a lot of hands – so they protect her hands as well.”

Cornelia James received a Royal Warrant in 1979 to become the official glove manufacturer to the Queen – since she passed away in 1999, her daughter Genevieve has taken over the family business.

Boris Johnson today released his battle plan to kill off the deadly bug in Britain, including sweeping measures considered including shutting down schools, banning mass gatherings,  cancelling NHS operations and encouraging people to work from home.

Up to one in five could be off work sick during the peak of the crisis, it was predicted today.

And health officials admitted the elderly and those with underlying health conditions were most at risk as the virus continues to spread across the UK.

Speaking today, Prof Jon Cohen, Emeritus Professor of Infectious Diseases, Brighton & Sussex Medical School, said: “It’s not surprising that older people, and especially those with pre-existing or underlying conditions, have more complications and a higher case fatality rate.

“This is in part because they have less ‘reserve’ to cope with the stress of an infection, and partly because natural immunity wanes as we get older.

“As a specific example, coronavirus causes a respiratory illness and this places greater stress on the heart, so people with pre-existing heart disease will find it harder to deal with a serious respiratory infection.

“This is not something that is limited to coronavirus infection – the same principle applies to all types of respiratory infections.”

Meanwhile, experts have warned gloves won’t necessarily protect against coronavirus.

Instead, gloves are one of the worst culprits for this since you will be touching everything you would normally touch with your hands and you probably won’t think about cleaning them before, for example, touching your face.

And when your hands get hot and sweaty inside, it creates an even better environment for microbes to grow.

The Queen shakes hands with Harry Billinge from St Austell as he is made an MBE
The Queen shakes hands with Harry Billinge from St Austell as he is made an MBE
Susan Lamford, known professionally as Kate Flatt is made an OBE by Her Majesty
Susan Lamford, known professionally as Kate Flatt is made an OBE by Her Majesty