The coronavirus pandemic has made it difficult for many people to go about their daily lives and the Queen is no exception. But like many of us have found, video calling very often comes in handy:
The 94-year-old joined a conference call with her daughter Princess Anne to celebrate the selfless work of the country's carers.
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The monarch came in live from Windsor Castle where she listened to stories from a group of carers in a bid to mark Carers Week 2020, before telling them: "I'm very impressed by what you have achieved already."
The other people on the call were Alex, Amna, Mary and Nadia, who are all primary carers for family members, as well as Gareth Howells, the CEO of Carers Trust. The former spoke about challenges they have faced and how their role impacts their own mental health.
Reflecting on the opportunity for carers to speak to The Queen and The Princess Royal during Carers Week, Mr Howells said: "We are immensely grateful to Her Majesty The Queen and our President, The Princess Royal, for spending time to listen to carers speaking about the vital work they do, and the challenges they face.
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"We are also incredibly proud of the dedicated carers who joined the video call. In doing so they have raised the voices of carers right across the UK this Carers Week and have played a really important part in Making Caring Visible."
Nadia Taylor, 44, has been a carer for 20 years, looking after her mother, father, husband and daughter, who all live with her. Her husband has a kidney deficiency, her mother is registered blind, her father is undergoing chemotherapy for a blood disorder and her daughter has a temporomandibular disorder of the jaw joint that leads to painful ears.
Speaking to The Mirror, she said: "The call was about 45 minutes and the Queen was on for about 20 minutes of that. She asked us all questions. We talked about how we are all coping in the current climate with Covid-19.
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"I explained to her how much more isolated carers are at the moment. Many don't have laptops or tablets and feel very cut off. A lot of the appointments - doctors, hospitals, etc - we need have been cancelled.
"The Queen asked questions about how we all coped and called us extraordinary, which was very lovely.
"I felt a great sincerity coming from her, as well as the Princess Royal. I think she was trying to send a message that 'I'm still here, I haven't forgotten the nation and those most in need'."
Featured Image Credit: Twitter/@RoyalFamily
