Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeth II's son and the heir to the British throne, has tested positive for coronavirus and is now self-isolating in Scotland.
The Prince of Wales is only displaying mild symptoms and is otherwise in good health, Clarence House said in a statement. It is not known how the 71-year-old caught the virus because of his busy schedule of public events in recent weeks.
Buckingham Palace said the Queen remained in “good health.” Last Tuesday, the Palace said the 93-year-old monarch was canceling public events “as a sensible precaution” and she and her husband, 98-year-old Prince Philip, moved to Windsor Castle on Thursday, a week earlier than planned. She is expected to stay there beyond the Easter period.
In a statement issued by the Palace as they moved to Windsor, the Queen said the world was entering “a period of great concern and uncertainty” and warned that many would need to “find new ways of staying in touch with each other and making sure that loved ones are safe.” She said she and her family were ready to play their part.
The Queen last saw Prince Charles briefly after an investiture ceremony for public awards at Buckingham Palace in London on March 12. A Palace spokeswoman said she was “following all the appropriate advice with regard to her welfare.
Following that event, Prince Charles had a number of private meetings with Highgrove and Duchy individuals, all of whom have been made aware of the situation, according to PA Media.
Prince Charles’s wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, has been tested and does not have the virus, according to the statement from Clarence House.
It read: “The Prince of Wales has tested positive for coronavirus. He has been displaying mild symptoms but otherwise remains in good health and has been working from home throughout the last few days as usual.
“The Duchess of Cornwall has also been tested but does not have the virus. In accordance with government and medical advice, the Prince and the Duchess are now self-isolating at home in Scotland. The tests were carried out by the NHS in Aberdeenshire where they met the criteria required for testing.
“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.”
Prince Charles is the eldest child of the Queen and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. As someone over 70, he is considered to be at higher risk than average for coronavirus.
Earlier this month, his office said he was not yet self-isolating because UK government and medical advice at the time were not advising over-70s to do so.
On March 13, Prince Charles and his wife announced they were canceling their spring tour due to the escalating coronavirus pandemic. The pair had been set to visit Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus and Jordan.
