Good to see you back ma'am! The Queen returns to official duties for the first time since recovering from a heavy cold as she attends a WI meeting at Sandringham 

  • Royal, 90,  attended Sandringham branch of the Women's Institute
  • Monarch looked radiant in bright pink coat with gold buttons
  • Today was Queen's first official public engagement of the year
  • Missed Christmas and New Year church services due to heavy cold  

By Siofra Brennan For Mailonline

Published: 10:28 EST, 19 January 2017 | Updated: 13:21 EST, 19 January 2017

The Queen was all smiles as she made her annual visit to the Sandringham branch of the Women's Institute this afternoon.

It marked the monarch's return to public life for 2017, after being taken ill with a heavy cold over Christmas. 

She appeared to have recovered well as she enjoyed tea and cake with the members of the WI.

Scroll down for video 

The Queen is welcomed by Vice President Yvonne Browne as she arrives at West Newton village hall in Norfolk to attend a meeting of the Sandringham Women's Institute

The monarch looked radiant in bright pink coat with gold buttons on a dull afternoon in Norfolk

Historian Lucy Worsley arrives at Newton village hall to give a speech at a WI meeting attended by the Queen 

The royal looked radiant in a bright pink coat with gold buttons as she was greeted with a curtsy by Vice President Yvonne Browne at West Newton village hall in Norfolk.

It was only the second time the 90-year-old monarch has been seen in public this year, and her first appearance on official royal duties for 2017. 

She attended church at Sandringham on 8 January, after missing the traditional Christmas and New Year's services for the first time due to ill health.

Each year the Queen visits the WI branch at West Newton village hall in Norfolk and this time she was joined by guest speaker, BBC presenter and historian Lucy Worsley.

The Queen with Vice President Yvonne Browne as she leaves West Newton village hall in Norfolk

The Queen appeared to have recovered well from a heavy cold she was struck down with over Christmas as she enjoyed tea and cake with the members of the WI

The Queen has attended the WI group's meetings since 1943 and took over as President from the Queen Mother, who in turn took over from Queen Mary.

Her absence from the public eye over Christmas led sick jokes to convince people that she had died and there had been a 'media blackout'.

A spoof BBC news account tweeted: 'BREAKING: Buckingham Palace announces the death of Queen Elizabeth II at the age of 90.

A belated Christmas present? The Queen was carrying a small gift bag as she left the event

The Queen looks back to her best after battling a heavy cold during the festive season 

It's the first time the Queen has been seen out on official business since she was taken ill over Christmas

'Circumstances are unknown. More to follow.'

Buckingham Palace was forced to confirm the Queen was alive after a Twitter hoax.

In a statement, it said: 'The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh continue to recover from their heavy colds.'

The Queen's heavy cold saw her miss the traditional Christmas Day church service for the first time in almost 30 years.

It's extremely rare for her to miss the service, which is a cornerstone of the royal family's Christmas celebrations.

She has been in generally good health and has maintained an active schedule in the last year despite traveling less often than in the past. 

The monarch has also passed some of her royal patronages on to younger members of the royal family as she eases her workload.  

 

 

 

Comments (370)

Share what you think

 View all

The comments below have not been moderated.

 View all

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

Add your comment

By posting your comment you agree to our house rules.

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now