The Queen returns to Buckingham Palace for joint outing with Prince Edward - best photos

The Queen was joined by her youngest son, the Earl of Wessex, to launch The Queen's Baton Relay for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

In the monarch's first major engagement at Buckingham Palace since the pandemic began, she placed her message in the baton before Paralympic gold medallist Kadeena Cox carries the symbol on the first leg of its journey.

The Queen's message was automatically sealed in the "smart" baton, enhanced with cutting-edge technology, and will be read at the opening ceremony of the Games in Birmingham on 28 July 2022.

At the centre gate of Buckingham Palace, the baton was then passed to Team England squash player Declan James and Olympic Gold medal winning Team Wales boxer Lauren Price to be taken around the Queen Victoria Memorial, before continuing down the Mall, passing on to further baton bearers. 

READ: The Queen returns to Buckingham Palace for joint outing with Prince Edward

WATCH: The Queen carries out first major engagement at Buckingham Palace since the pandemic

The Queen and Prince Edward also met the design team behind this year's Queen Baton, and heard about their creative process, during their joint engagement on the forecourt at the monarch's official London residence.

Her Majesty and the Earl are Patron and Vice Patron of the Commonwealth Games Federation respectively. 

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The Queen stood out in an elegant bold orange coat with a matching hat, accessorising with the Nizam of Hyderabad Rose brooch.

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The royal mother and son appeared on good form as they watched proceedings from the forecourt at Buckingham Palace. 

The Queen spent two months at her Scottish estate, Balmoral, during the summer, and returned to Windsor Castle last weekend. 

The Queen kicked off the Queen's Baton Relay at Buckingham Palace. 

Kadeena Cox was the first baton bearer, marking the official start of the 16th Queen's Baton Relay.

The paralympian competed in Cycling and Athletics at Tokyo 2020 winning two gold medals at the velodrome in the Mixed 750m Team sprint C1-C5 along with Jaco van Gass and Jody Cundy and the 500m time trial C4-C5. 

Other baton bearers included athletes from Team England, paralympic swimmer Alice Tai MBE and artistic gymnast Alice Kinsella, Team Scotland hockey player Sarah Robertson, and Team Northern Ireland cyclist Mark Downey.

The relay of 7,500 bearers will take the baton on a 90,000-mile journey to all 72 nations and territories of the Commonwealth over 294 days.

The special ceremony at the palace was closed with a performance from  Birmingham-based acapella group Black Voices.