THE Queen was today seen beaming at an event after she was forced to pull out of her annual Commonwealth Day service.
Her Majesty, 95, met with Guyanese poet Grace Nichols in another face-to-face engagement.
The Monarch appeared in good spirits as she presented the writer with a Gold Medal for Poetry at Windsor Castle.
She was pictured without her walking stick, which she has used for stability in previous events.
The Queen and Ms Nichols were joined by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, who chaired the Poetry Medal Committee, in the Oak Room.
It comes after she she skipped her Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey on Monday.
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There had been worries about her “comfort” on the 30-mile Windsor to London drive and during the hour-long ceremony.
She has also been ordered to “pace herself” ahead of Prince Philip’s Thanksgiving Service in two weeks.
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But she smiled yesterday as she welcomed the new Governor General of Canada and her husband at Windsor Castle for tea.
In her annual message for the Commonwealth Service the Queen wrote of her commitment to carry on serving.
She said: “In this year of my Platinum Jubilee, it has given me pleasure to renew the promise I made in 1947, that my life will always be devoted in service.
“Today, it is rewarding to observe a modern, vibrant and connected Commonwealth that combines a wealth of history and tradition with the great social, cultural and technological advances of our time.
“That the Commonwealth stands ever taller is a credit to all who have been involved.”
