Britain's Queen Elizabeth II smiled as she left hospital on Monday following a one-night stay, having been admitted for the first time in 10 years after suffering from the symptoms of gastro-enteritis. The illness forced her to call off a visit to Rome this week, which would have been her first overseas trip since October 2011.
The sovereign, wearing a scarlet coat with a silver brooch and carrying a black handbag on her left arm, shook hands with a uniformed member of staff on the steps of King Edward VII's Hospital in central London. The queen was driven away in a Bentley, accompanied by a protection officer and police motorcycle outriders. Britain's head of state has enjoyed robust health and rarely misses engagements.