Queen beams and stands unaided as she greets Australian politician Margaret Beazley at Windsor

The Queen smiled and beamed today as she continued her public engagements at Windsor Castle.

Her Majesty, 96, stood unaided as she greeted Australian politician Margaret Beazley just days after she missed Royal Ascot amid her ongoing mobility issues.

The Monarch, wearing a yellow dress decorated with a pattern of blue flowers, was photographed standing without a walking stick as she met her guest.

She shook hands with Ms Beazley, who wore a black and white laced dressed, as she entered the Oak Room sitting room in the Berkshire castle. 

Her Majesty, who has recently faced mobility issues at the age of 96, beamed as she had her picture taken with the Governor today at Windsor Castle.  

It comes just a day after The Queen was pictured smiling and standing without her walking stick as she was awarded a special ‘Canterbury Cross’ by Justin Welby after he was forced to miss her thanksgiving service due to Covid. 

The Monarch, 96 shook hands with the Governor (right) this morning at Windsor Castle just days after she was forced to miss Royal Ascot because of her ongoing mobility issues

Queen Elizabeth (left) receiving the Governor of New South Wales Margaret Beazley (right), during an audience at Windsor Castle today

The Archbishop of Canterbury had been due to take the Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral as part of the Platinum Jubilee weekend, but had to pull out when he was struck down with the disease.

Yesterday he finally got the chance to congratulate Her Majesty face-to-face, as part of a meeting with Her Majesty at Windsor Castle, in which he praised her ‘unstinting’ service to the Church of England. 

In the audience the Most Rev Welby gave the Queen the small silver cross, inspired by a 9th century Saxon brooch and incorporating a triquetra pattern, as a ‘heartfelt symbol’ of the church’s ‘love, loyalty and affection’.

Presented in a vivid red box and attached to a blue ribbon, the cross was specially crafted for its royal recipient with platinum inserts in recognition of her milestone 70 years on the throne. 

The Queen, who has a deep Christian faith, is Supreme Governor of the Church of England and Defender of the Faith. 

In the citation for the cross, which was also given to the Queen as a framed piece of calligraphy, the archbishop praised the monarch and hailed ‘her care for the unity of her people and the welfare of the least fortunate’ as a ‘constant inspiration to the whole church’. 

The Queen’s life was ‘an example of a Christian life well led,’ he said. 

The citation read: ‘Throughout her reign, Her Majesty has duly upheld both the Christian religion and the Church of England in her roles as Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England. 

‘Whether in the formality of opening sessions of General Synod or the more intimate context of her personal addresses to the nation and Commonwealth at Christmas, Her Majesty has made manifest her own deep faith and its relevance to all that she undertakes.

‘Her subtle understanding of the changing position of the Established Church in England has sustained and encouraged laity and clergy alike. 

‘Her care for the unity of her people and the welfare of the least fortunate have been a constant inspiration to the whole Church. Hers is an example of the Christian life well led. 

‘This presentation of the Canterbury Cross is a heartfelt symbol of the love, loyalty and affection in which the Church of England holds Her Majesty and it represents the recognition and gratitude of her whole Church for her seventy years of unstinting service. God Save The Queen!’ 

The Queen, who has recently dealt with mobility issues, was pictured standing without her walking stick during the meeting at Windsor Castle yesterday

Archbishop Welby presented Her Majesty with the ‘Canterbury Cross’ to commemorate her Platinum Jubilee and 70 years of service to the church 

 The Queen had a busy start to June as the nation celebrated her jubilee during a four-day weekend of festivities. 

These included a special Trooping the Colour with hundreds of soldiers marching from Horse Guard Parade to Buckingham Palace, a special flyover by the Red Arrows and other military planes, as well as a special concert in honour of Her Majesty. 

Among these was a Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral in London, which saw members of the Royal Family and others congregate to express their thanks for the Queen’s 70-year reign. 

However, Her Majesty herself did not attend after experiencing ‘some discomfort’ during the previous days festivities. She would also miss the Epsom Derby the next day, before making an appearance at the Platinum Jubilee Pageant on the final day of celebrations.

The Service of Thanksgiving was supposed to be taken by the Archbishop of Canterbury, but a combination of Covid and pneumonia left him unable to do so. 

Instead the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, took it in his place and praised Her Majesty for her ‘staunch constancy and a steadfast consistency; a faithfulness to God, an obedience to a vocation that is a bedrock of her life’.

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The Queen on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on June 5 at the conclusion of the long Platinum Jubilee weekend

Her Majesty had missed a number of events over the weekend after experiencing ‘some discomfort’, and was seen holding a walking stick