Prince Charles has tested positive for the new coronavirus and is self-isolating in Scotland.
The Prince of Wales, 71, “has been displaying mild symptoms but otherwise remains in good health and has been working from home throughout the last few days as usual,” said a statement from Clarence House released Wednesday. His wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, 72, has also been tested but does not have the virus.
Both are now self-isolating at their home on the Queen’s Balmoral Estate in Scotland. “It is not possible to ascertain from whom the Prince caught the virus owing to the high number of engagements he carried out in his public role during recent weeks,” the palace added.
The last public event Prince Charles attended was in London on March 12, when he hosted a reception and dinner in aid of relief efforts for the Australian bush fires. Earlier that day, he had attended assorted events at Buckingham Palace but followed noncontact rules that had been put in place to avoid the spread of the virus.
Buckingham Palace confirmed that Prince Charles also met the Queen on March 12. “Her Majesty The Queen remains in good health,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement Wednesday. “The Queen last saw the Prince of Wales briefly on 12 March and is following all the appropriate advice with regard to her welfare. We will not be commenting further.”
The Queen, 93, and Prince Phillip, 98, relocated to Windsor Castle last week after reports surfaced that a member of the Buckingham Palace staff had tested positive for the virus. The palace declined to comment on that case but said in a statement, “In line with the appropriate guidance and our own processes, we have taken the necessary actions to protect all employees and people involved.”
Prince Charles hosted a WaterAid summit at Clarence House in London on March 10 and met Prince Albert of Monaco, who announced last week that he had tested positive for the virus.
Questions have been raised about why Prince Charles was tested for the virus. According to the statement from Clarence House, “the tests were carried out by the [National Health Service] in Aberdeenshire where they met the criteria required for testing.”
The NHS Scotland website says that testing is only done on serious cases. “Generally, you’ll only be tested for COVID-19 if you have a serious illness that requires admission to hospital,” the website said.
If Prince Charles is “in good health,” it’s unclear why he was tested, particularly given that many front line health-care workers have not been tested.
“My parents live in rural NE Scotland,” Adam Ramsay, editor of Open Democracy, a website dedicated to social and political issues, said on Twitter. “They are at risk and will rely on the stretched NHS if they do get COVID-19. Charles Windsor explicitly ignored requests to stay away, risking the lives of countless others so he can be somewhere with a nice view. It’s fair to say I’m angry.”
Last week the Queen issued a statement urging the country to follow the government’s measures to help stop the spread of the virus. “We are all being advised to change our normal routines and regular patterns of life for the greater good of the communities we live in and, in particular, to protect the most vulnerable within them,” she said. “At times such as these, I am reminded that our nation’s history has been forged by people and communities coming together to work as one, concentrating our combined efforts with a focus on the common goal.”
Britain has just over 8,000 confirmed cases and 422 people have died. But the numbers have been increasing rapidly in recent days. On Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered a near total lockdown of the country for at least three weeks. The government has also told anyone over the age of 70 to remain at home.
Other members of the Royal Family have also relocated because of the virus. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have moved to Anmer Hall on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk with their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. Last Friday, Prince William and Kate visited workers at a National Health Service call centre in London to support health-care workers.
Prince Harry and Meghan returned to Canada after completing their final events as Royals in London. The couple attended a Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey on March 9 and then returned to a home on Vancouver Island, where they have been living since announcing their break from royal duties.
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