Queen makes Russia quip amid frosty relations: 'Jets being sent off to chase Russians?'

In the first public engagement outside Windsor Castle in nearly five months amid the COVID-19 pandemic, UK’s Queen Elizabeth II on March 31 made a clever remark about the country’s unfriendly relationship with Russia. Even though the 94-year-old UK monarch has been taking required precautions due to the global health crisis, she visited the Commonwealth Air Forces Memorial in Runnymede, Surrey, to mark the centenary of the Royal Australian Air Force where the maskless Queen made a quip about Russia. 

In the first public outing of 2021, as per the Daily Mail report, Queen quizzed one Australian serviceman about his work with the Typhoon jets and asked if they were “being sent off to chase the Russians?” In reply, she was told, “That’s correct, ma’am, it’s a lot of fun for us.”

The UK monarch shared a light moment while attending the military service in southeast England after reportedly saying that she was “delighted” to be out on engagements again. Queen’s clever remark on Wednesday (local time) came as, in recent months, the British Air Force has intercepted several Russian aircraft approaching the UK airspace. Meaning the tensions between UK and Russia have also been escalating over a range of issues. The March 31 engagement of the Queen was also only her fourth engagement since the doors of the castle locked last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

First engagement since Harry and Meghan’s interview

It was also the first time she was seen in public after her grandson, Prince Harry and Meghan’s explosive interview that aired on CBS News in the United States. The military service on Wednesday came as her husband Prince Philip recovers at home after undergoing heart surgery earlier this month at St. Bartholomew's Hospital in London. What made the UK monarch’s first engagement of 2021 more notable is that it also marks the first anniversary of ‘Megxit’, a term derived by UK media to mark Meghan and Prince Harry’s exit from the royal family as working senior members. 

The visit, Queen Russia quip comes at a tumultuous time for the family which has been accused of hushing important issues including mental health and racism. Since Prince Harry and Meghan’s interview with American presenter, Oprah Winfrey aired, the royal family has been left with one of its worst crisis known for several generations.

Image credits: AP