Queen Elizabeth II smiles in first royal engagement since Prince Philip's funeral

Queen Elizabeth II held a series of virtual meetings from Windsor Castle on Tuesday, which marked her first official appearance since Prince Philip's funeral on April 17.

The 95-year-old British monarch sported a big smile and wore a blue floral dress and big pearls for the engagement. She held virtual audiences with Ivita Burmistre, Ambassador from the Republic of Latvia, and Sara Affoue Amani, Ambassador from the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire. They met with the queen at Buckingham Palace.

Diplomatic Audiences are part of the royal's work. They generally last for 20 minutes and the conversations that take place are kept private. There is no recording or written transcript. Newly-appointed ambassadors or High Commissioners usually meet with Queen Elizabeth II shortly after they take up their position.

The meeting starts with diplomats presenting their Letters of Credence (for Ambassadors) or Letters of High Commission (for High Commissioners). They are otherwise known as "Credentials," or a formal letter from the diplomat's Head of State presented to the queen asking her to give "credence" to the new Ambassador or High Commissioner.

"In other words, saying that Her Majesty can trust the new appointment to speak on behalf of his or her country," reads the description from the Royal UK page.

An informal conversation then takes place for the rest of the audience. The monarch will discuss issues the Ambassador or High Commissioner faces from their home country.

Normally, Queen Elizabeth II shakes everybody's hands before the audience begins. But that was obviously not the case during Tuesday's meeting, given the social distancing measures amid the pandemic.

The royal engagement took place ten 10 days after the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral and after the Royal Family completed their two-week mourning period last week, Friday. Her Majesty The Queen also celebrated her 95th birthday at Windsor Castle on April 21.

Despite grieving, Queen Elizabeth II carried out two in-person engagements since Prince Philip's death on April 9 and prior to his funeral. She formally relinquished Earl Peel from his duty as Lord Chamberlain of the Royal Household. She also formally bestowed the same position to his replacement, Baron Parker.