The Queen has revealed she was left "very tired and exhausted" after her recent bout of Covid-19 as she discussed her experience with a former patient whose brother and father died from the virus.
The monarch tested positive for coronavirus in February, but carried on with her duties, despite suffering from what Buckingham Palace described as "mild cold-like symptoms".
During a virtual visit to the Royal London hospital in Whitechapel on Wednesday to mark the official opening of the Queen Elizabeth unit, she listened to the stories of medical staff, patients and workers who had used the facility during the pandemic.
Speaking to Asef Hussain, a former Covid patient, and his wife, Shamina, the Queen said about the virus: "It does leave one very tired and exhausted, doesn't it? This horrible pandemic. It's not a nice result."
Hussain was the third member of his family to be admitted to hospital with coronavirus after they were infected in December 2020. His brother died first, closely followed by his father, who died while Hussain was on a ventilator.
Recalling his experience, Hussain said his wife called an ambulance when he woke up one morning struggling to breathe. "I remember waking my wife saying that I feel like there's no oxygen in the room," he said. "I remember sticking my head out the window, just trying to breathe, trying to get that extra oxygen."
Hussain remained on a ventilator at the Royal London for seven weeks and is still recovering. Since his discharge, he has used a wheelchair and a portable oxygen machine.
Elsewhere in the conversation, the Queen acknowledged the difficulty patients had not being able to see their families and friends while they were in hospital. "Of course, not being able to see your relatives was very hard," she said.
Mireia Lopez Rey Ferrer, a senior sister who has worked at the hospital since 2008, told the Queen about staff commitment to the patients. "As nurses, we made sure that they were not alone. We held their hands, we wiped their tears and we provided comfort," she said. "It felt at times that we were running a marathon with no finish line."
The new 155-bed unit was built in just five weeks to meet the demand caused by the pandemic - normally, a facility of that size would take about five months to complete.
Speaking to construction workers at the end of the call, the Queen said: "It is very interesting, isn't it, when there is some very vital thing, how everybody works together and pulls together - marvellous, isn't it?"
When the team hailed the "Dunkirk spirit" that inspired them, the monarch replied: "Thank goodness it still exists."
The Queen, 95, has delegated a number of public appearances to other senior royals recently. On Friday, Buckingham Palace announced that Prince Charles and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, would represent the monarch at the annual Royal Maundy church service. Prince Charles also stood in for the Queen at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey last month.
The Queen is understood to be in good health, but has some mobility issues. On Saturday, she commemorated the anniversary of the death of husband, Prince Philip, privately at her home in Windsor.
