The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have thanked Queen Elizabeth for "inspiring a nation".

Queen Elizabeth has been praised on International Women's Day

Queen Elizabeth has been praised on International Women's Day

The 39-year-old Duke and the 40-year-old Duchess turned to social media on International Women's Day (08.03.22) to heap praise on the 95-year-old monarch.

Alongside a series of throwback photos of the Queen, the royal couple wrote on Instagram: "In this very special #PlatinumJubilee year, we celebrate Her Majesty The Queen and her historic 70 years of service on #IWD2022.

"Mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and Head of State, The Queen’s extraordinary reign has been longer than any other monarch in British history - inspiring a nation and dedicating her life to the service of the Commonwealth and its people. (sic)"

The Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles have also hailed the Queen on social media, posting the same photographs on their own Instagram page.

Meanwhile, the monarch recently carried out her first in-person engagement since recovering from COVID-19.

The Queen - who tested positive for the virus towards the end of February - made a return to royal engagements on Monday (07.03.22), when she met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The Queen was first revealed to have COVID-19 on February 20, shortly after Prince Charles also tested positive for the virus.

At the time, a royal spokesperson said: "Buckingham Palace confirm that The Queen has today tested positive for COVID. Her Majesty is experiencing mild cold-like symptoms but expects to continue light duties at Windsor over the coming week. She will continue to receive medical attention and will follow all the appropriate guidelines."

During her recovery period, the Queen - who is the longest-serving female head of state in history - continued to carry out light duties but cancelled some virtual meetings.