Queen Elizabeth II met visiting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in her first in-person engagement since falling ill with Covid-19.

The 95-year-old monarch, who is also queen of Canada, chatted with Trudeau after he jetted in for talks on the conflict in Ukraine with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte.

Last week the queen donated to an appeal for funds to help Ukrainian refugees, while her eldest son and heir, Prince Charles, called the invasion “an attack on freedom”. In what could be seen as another subtle sign of support, she and Trudeau shook hands in front of table at her Windsor Castle home, west of London, with a large bouquet of yellow and blue flowers — the colours of Ukraine. She was forced to slow down on medical advice and cancelled a number of public engagements, including hosting world leaders at the UN climate change summit last November.

Her public appearances have become rarer since, and in one recent audience she complained of mobility problems.

On Monday, the queen, wearing a patterned dress, greeted Trudeau at her Windsor Castle home, west of London, and was not seen with a walking stick she has been using.

Although visibly frailer, she appeared smiling and laughing after the pair shook hands. At a Downing Street news conference after meeting Johnson and Rutte, Trudeau said he congratulated her on becoming the first British monarch in history to reign for 70 years. “I was able to talk a little bit about the situations we’re facing and draw on her long experience for having seen much over these past decades,” he told reporters.

He added: “I have the particular privilege of having known Her Majesty for about 45 years now and I can tell you that in my conversation with her this morning, she was as insightful and perspicacious as ever, very interested in what’s going on.”