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The Queen has been shielding alongside husband Prince Philip at Windsor Castle since March 19 and she is not expected to resume public engagements before the summer end. Her Majesty has continued to work throughout the lockdown and learned new skills such as video calling to ensure she keeps up with her duties. But royal author Phil Dampier suggested the forced shielding is making the Queen “extremely unhappy” because the threat her public absence poses to one of her most beloved charm weapons.

Speaking to Express.co.uk, Mr Dampier said: “The Queen has always said she needs to be seen to be a powerful force and if she’s hiding away, it’s not good.

“I’m sure she’s extremely unhappy about the situation but, of course, there is no choice at the moment.

“She is 94 and Prince Philip is 99 so they can’t take any chances. We are more likely to see video messages as we’re getting from William and Kate, and some of the other royals.”

The Queen delivered one of her rare messages to the nation at the start of the lockdown to show her support to the British and Commonwealth public grappling with the pandemic.

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Throughout her 68 years on the throne, Her Majesty delivered only five messages outside of the regular Christmas message, usually to mark very special occasions or to bring the country together after a tragedy.

In addition to the coronavirus message, the Queen also took to the wires at the start of the Gulf War in 1991, following the death of Princess Diana in 1997, after the Death of the Queen Mother in 2002 and again the same year to mark the Diamond Jubilee.

Mr Dampier predicted further messages to the nation could be broadcast but he warned the power behind the rare broadcasts could be lost.

He continued: “The problem is that the Queen’s addresses have so much force behind them because they are quite rare.

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“We’ve only had five or six apart from her Christmas speeches in all her reign.

“If she starts doing it too often, it will start losing a bit of its kudos.

“It’s a difficult balancing act but she will have to do some more if this goes on because she’s probably going to have to be in lockdown for several months, really.”

But despite the need to remain shielded, the Queen has still managed to make her presence felt during the lockdown.

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Buckingham Palace earlier this month released footage of a conference call the Queen held to mark Carers Week. Princess Anne remained at her mother’s side to assist her with the equipment.

And Her Majesty still managed to mark her official birthday while at Windsor Castle with a special musical performance from the Band of the Household Division.

While keeping up with her duties, the Queen is also expected to incorporate some new activities in her daily routine to “keep her brain active.”

Expert Ingrid Seward said: “The Queen always says if she stops, she drops, so she’ll be keeping busy. But as a creature of habit, the lack of a strict routine will be getting to her.

“She’s very, very quick at crosswords and enjoys word games, so I wouldn’t be surprised if she plays Scrabble. She likes jigsaws, too, but those are kept at Balmoral and Sandringham as they’re holiday pastimes.

“She’s also very orderly and likes cataloguing personal things, so she’s probably catching up with her photo album.”

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