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DP
London
Britian’s Queen Elizabeth II made her first public appearance since the beginning of the pandemic on Thursday, visiting the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) near Salisbury together with Prince William, the duke of Cambridge.
During her visit to the lab at Porton Down, the queen met scientists conducting research supporting Britain’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, the press agency PA reported.
The queen also met DSTL staff involved in the testing and response to the Novichok poisoning attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, according to the report.
Hightened safety precautions were taken for the royal visit, including coronavirus tests of the 48 people who came in contact with the queen and strict social distancing regulations, a Buckingham palace spokesperson told dpa.
The queen did however not wear a mask during the visit, the spokesperson confirmed.
It is the first time in seven months that the 94-year-old monarch has ventured out of a royal residence and met people outside the bubble of her household and reduced staff.
The DSTL, an agency belonging to the Ministry of Defence, played a key role in identifying the Novichok nerve agent with which Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned in 2018, an attack which was blamed on Russia.
Russian dissident Alexei Navalny fell ill in August after another Novichok attack, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) confirmed last week. Navalny blames the attack on the Russian government.
London
Britian’s Queen Elizabeth II made her first public appearance since the beginning of the pandemic on Thursday, visiting the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) near Salisbury together with Prince William, the duke of Cambridge.
During her visit to the lab at Porton Down, the queen met scientists conducting research supporting Britain’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, the press agency PA reported.
The queen also met DSTL staff involved in the testing and response to the Novichok poisoning attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, according to the report.
Hightened safety precautions were taken for the royal visit, including coronavirus tests of the 48 people who came in contact with the queen and strict social distancing regulations, a Buckingham palace spokesperson told dpa.
The queen did however not wear a mask during the visit, the spokesperson confirmed.
It is the first time in seven months that the 94-year-old monarch has ventured out of a royal residence and met people outside the bubble of her household and reduced staff.
The DSTL, an agency belonging to the Ministry of Defence, played a key role in identifying the Novichok nerve agent with which Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned in 2018, an attack which was blamed on Russia.
Russian dissident Alexei Navalny fell ill in August after another Novichok attack, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) confirmed last week. Navalny blames the attack on the Russian government.
