Queen carries out first engagement with military chief at Windsor Castle after missing Cenotaph event

The Queen has carried out her first official engagements since she missed the Remembrance Sunday service as she met the head of the military in a face-to-face audience.

The 95-year-old monarch welcomed General Sir Nick Carter, Chief of the Defence Staff, to Windsor Castle on Wednesday, as he prepares to step down from his role as the armed forces chief at the end of the month.

The Queen, who pulled out of the Cenotaph service three days ago with a sprained back, was pictured standing as she greeted Gen Sir Nick in the castle’s Oak Room.

Dressed in a green, orange and white floral dress and wearing a string of pearls, the monarch, who is head of the Armed Forces, smiled and shook hands with Gen Sir Nick as they began chatting.

The Oak Room is the Queen’s sitting room where she spends much of her time, and which also doubles as her office.

It is the first time in nearly a month that the monarch has been pictured carrying out an in person engagement since she hosted a reception for the global investment summit at Windsor on October 19.

She held a face to face audience with Prime Minister Boris Johnson last week but was not pictured doing so.