"I'm still alive," quipped the British monarch Queen Elizabeth when asked about her health, in her first round of public engagements since Britain voted to leave the European Union.
The dry remark followed a dramatic few days for Britain that have seen the prime minister resign, the pound hit a 30-year-low, and England defeated by Iceland in a shock football rout.
Next came Elizabeth's two-day trip to Northern Ireland, where she met with leaders including Martin McGuinness, a former Irish Republican Army paramilitary who now serves as deputy First Minister of the British-ruled province.
"Hello, are you well?" McGuinness asked as he extended his hand in greeting to the monarch in a televised meeting.
"I'm still alive anyway. Ha," Queen Elizabeth laughed, shaking his hand.
"We've been quite busy. There's been quite a lot going on."
It wasn't clear whether her comments were a reference to political events in Britain -- or possibly her two recent birthday celebrations.
The queen, who turned 90 this year, added that she had been busy celebrating "two birthdays". The monarch's birthday is celebrated twice under British tradition.
Elizabeth has not issued a statement on Britain's vote to leave the EU, a shock result that has strained the ties of her United Kingdom.
Voters in Scotland and Northern Ireland backed remaining in the bloc, but support for an exit in England and Wales carried the victory for "Brexit" by 52 percent.
That means a referendum on Scottish independence is "on the table" according to the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who hopes to keep Scotland in the EU.
McGuinness' Sinn Fein party, which wants Northern Ireland to leave the UK and unite with the Republic of Ireland, quickly called for a vote on Irish unity following the Brexit vote.
After an audience behind closed doors with the queen, McGuinness refused to comment on whether they had discussed the referendum.
"We discussed many things, none of which I will tell you," McGuinness said.
London's Indian-origin deputy mayor for business, Rajesh
Agrawal, described the event as a "landmark" for UK-India ties.
"UK and India have a shared history on so many fronts. Celebrating 2017 as a UK-India Year of Culture is a big landmark. In the last 20 years India has progressed a lot and our relationship needs to be constantly refreshed," he said.
The Queen was joined by her husband, Duke of Edinburgh, and grandson Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton who mingled with the guests and talked about their past visits to India.
"I was born in Hounslow (west London), a British kid who grew in New Delhi and then moved to America and thenended up onthis TVshow ('Big Bang Theory')and all mydreams came true. So it's really come full circle to be invited by the Queen," US-based Indian-origin actor Kunal Nayyar said.
British Indian actress Ayesha Dharker said she was "completely overwhelmed" to be part of the event.
"This is a great occasion to celebrate the shared history of India and the UK. The English language is the best example of that and I often refer to it as a great Indian language that unites us all," said Tamil actor-filmmaker Hassan.
The event also included a first-of-its-kind projection of a unique artwork on to the facade of Buckingham Palace of the national bird of India, the peacock.
The projection was designed by Studio Carrom, a Bengaluru and London-based design studio.
"We wanted to ensure people knew this was about India but which would also surprise and intrigue people, encouraging them to follow the UK-India Year of Culture," said Studio Carrom.
The celebrations kick-start a year-long calendar of events and exhibitions across both countries.
