The Queen has sent a message to Boris Johnson’s fiancee Carrie Symonds and the Prime Minister’s family, saying her thoughts are with them and that she wishes him a full and speedy recovery, Buckingham Palace has said.

Mr Johnson is the 14th prime minister of the Queen’s reign.  She is being kept informed of his condition in intensive care by Downing Street.

The Duke of Cambridge has also tweeted a personal message, signing it off with his initial “W”, and saying: “Our thoughts are with the Prime Minister and his family, who like so many in the UK and around the world are affected by coronavirus.

“We wish him a speedy recovery at this difficult time. W.”

The Prince of Wales, who has recovered from Covid-19, sent a message from himself and the Duchess of Cornwall to Mr Johnson on Tuesday, also wishing him a “speedy recovery”, Clarence House said.

Buckingham Palace said the Queen’s message was conveyed through Mr Johnson’s office.

Weekly calls between Number 10 and the Queen will not take place while the Prime Minister is receiving treatment in intensive care, Downing Street has confirmed.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is deputising for the PM, will not be asked to step in to brief her on Boris Johnson’s behalf.

Mr Johnson would have been due to have a telephone audience with the 93-year-old Queen, who is staying at Windsor Castle with a reduced household for her safety, on Wednesday.

The Queen delivered a message of hope to the nation on Sunday evening, just over an hour before Downing Street announced Mr Johnson had been admitted to hospital.

She warned the country, in lockdown with thousands dead after contracting Covid-19, “may have more still to endure”.

But she said if we “remain united and resolute” in the face of the coronavirus outbreak “we will overcome it”, and echoed the words of Forces’ sweetheart Dame Vera Lynn’s Second World War song, when she said “we will meet again”.

The Queen
The Queen’s televised address (Kirsty O’Connor/PA)

Earlier on Tuesday, the Queen praised the “dedication to service” of nurses, midwives and other health workers during the coronavirus outbreak, in a message to mark World Health Day.

She thanked the healthcare profession for its “selfless commitment and diligence as you undertake vitally important roles to protect and improve the health and well-being of people across the Commonwealth, and across the world”.