Royally recovered: Queen leaves hospital after stomach bug

Her Majesty was admitted to King Edward VII’s Hospital in London on Sunday afternoon, sparking concerns for her general well-being.

But yesterday she looked fit and cheerful as she thanked staff on the hospital’s steps before getting into a waiting Bentley.

Soon afterwards, the Queen’s royal standard was raised above Buckingham Palace, indicating she would be spending the night at her official London home.

The Palace declined to discuss the monarch’s condition in detail, but said she remained “in good spirits”.

A spokeswoman said the Queen’s diary for this week – including a trip to Italy to meet the country’s President Giorgio Napolitano – would remain suspended while she recovered from her illness.

“Next week we’ll have to see, as she has only just been released from hospital,” added the spokeswoman.

The Queen’s illness was first announced on Friday and she spent Saturday resting at Windsor Castle.

The monarch, who is 86, was initially expected to spend two days in hospital.

Professor John Cunningham, her physician, was pictured smiling broadly as he left the hospital yesterday a few hours before his patient was discharged.

Prior to the weekend, the Queen had last been admitted to hospital in 2003 for an operation to remove torn cartilage from her left knee.