Queen Elizabeth Sends Video Message To Canada After Skipping New Year’s Day Outing

Queen Elizabeth II might be feeling under the weather, but she can still send well wishes. The British monarch recorded a message to celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation despite missing scheduled events earlier in the day due to a cold.

The video, posted on the Royal Family Twitter account that Buckingham Palace runs, shows the Queen sitting in front of a Christmas tree while sending a message to Canada.

“Fifty years ago, on the eve of the Centennial, I encouraged Canadians to continue to embody the values of equality, freedom and inclusion,” she said. “Today, these values remain deeply rooted in the Canadian experience. Your country, while still young, has the maturity needed to follow its passions.”

Watch her full message below:

The Queen, however, was fighting an illness while recording the clip. It looks like she filmed the message the same day she recorded her Christmas Day broadcast. She missed both New Year’s Day and Christmas Day church services due to a “heavy cold.” Her husband Prince Philip has also caught the sickness, but he managed to make it to the Christmas Day service at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Norfolk, England.

Though it was pre-recorded, seeing the Queen on video may have been a relief for some. Rumors about her death have been flying. Reports of the 90-year-old dying recently circulated again after a fake BBC News account tweeted the story.

Though the Queen was forced to skip church events due to illness, she voluntarily decided to step down from other commitments recently. USA Today reports that she gave up her post as patron for about 20 charitable organizations to “lighten her workload.” Prince Harry, Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge will take over her role in many of the organizations. Most notably, Kate Middleton will now be the patron for Wimbledon.