Queen Elizabeth has made her first public appearance after getting her vaccination in January and she visited the Commonwealth Air Forces Memorial to commemorate the 100th year of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).

This in-person engagement was Queen Elizabeth's first for the year and the first since her last public outing with her grandson, Prince William, at the Defence Laboratory at Porton Down in October 2020.

The queen did not wear a face mask during her visit, but it was still a socially-distanced occasion as she spoke with members of the RAAF. She was in good spirits when she asked one of the RAAF officers if their Typhoon jets have been chasing off the Russians in Northumberland amid reports that a Bear bomber from Russia was spotted near the Scottish coast.

Queen Elizabeth also told another officer that it seemed unfortunate they arrived from Australia amid the lockdowns. She told them that she wishes they could do more flying in the months to come.

During the said visit, one of the officers told Queen Elizabeth that they will send her special RAAF dog jackets for her new corgis, Fergus and Muick. The queen told the RAAF personnel that they were kind to offer a gift and that she looks forward to receiving the jackets for her two pups.

Her Majesty The Queen acquired the two dogs to keep her company while her husband, Prince Philip, had been in the hospital between February and March. Incidentally, Philip has been resting and recovering at Windsor Castle after heart surgery. His return home has been a huge relief for the monarch.

Early this year, the royal couple had their COVID-19 vaccination at Windsor Castle, but Buckingham Palace did not divulge the vaccine's brand. The palace also did not say when the queen and her husband had their second jabs, but the Queen said during a video conference call that the process did not hurt. She urged the public to get their vaccination and think about other people.

At the memorial, Queen Elizabeth noted that her return has long been overdue. Her last visit to this Surrey site was in 1953 when she opened the memorial on her coronation year.

A short ceremony followed thereafter with the pilots conducting a flypast in honor of Queen Elizabeth. Prayers were then said to remember the men who have given their life for their country, and then the queen laid out a wreath on the burial site of Her Majesty's Equerry Major Tom White. The wreathe had a note signed by Her Majesty.