Netizens were quick to coin a new ‘cool’ definition for otherwise near extinction phrase – “Coronated”
Prince Charles, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and heir to the British throne has been tested positive for the novel coronavirus. According to a Clarence House spokesperson, the Duke of Cornwall is displaying mild symptoms of the pandemic disease but otherwise remains in good health.
The spokesperson has further revealed that the spouse of Prince Charles, Camilla Parker Bowles, the Duchess of Cornwall, was also tested but was found negative of the virus.
As per sources, the spokesperson has stated that “The Duchess of Cornwall has also been tested but does not have the virus. Following the 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.”
However, it is unknown as to how the 71-year-old Prince Charles has caught the virus. According to the World Health Organization, the incubation period (the amount of time from exposure to the appearance of first symptoms) for the coronavirus varies by patient, with most people showing symptoms about five days from the date they were infected.
As per sources, Prince Charles has attended public awards at the palace in London on 12 March. He was later advised that he was contagious from 13 March. However, he started showing symptoms last weekend, meaning he could have been exposed before he saw the Queen on 12 March.
Citing the same, the spokesperson asserted that “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 the recent weeks.”
According to Public Health England and the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, there are indications people could be contagious before they show symptoms.
Two weeks earlier, while Prince Charles was at the annual Prince’s Trust Awards at the London Palladium, a video of him ditching the handshake for a namaste went viral on social media.
Meanwhile, earlier this week, Prince Charles parents’, Queen Elizabeth II (93) and Prince Philip (98), moved out of the Buckingham Palace to Windsor Castle after a Palace employee was tested positive for the novel coronavirus. “The Queen now aged 93, remains in ‘good health’ and is following all appropriate advice concerning her welfare,” a Buckingham Palace spokesperson addressed on 25 March. Further, the Queen was canceling public events ‘as a sensible precaution’ and is expected to stay in Windsor Castle, beyond the Easter period.
As per the statement issued by the palace, the Queen said that 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.’
Subsequently, on 13 March, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, announced that they were canceling their spring tour due to the escalating coronavirus pandemic.
In the UK, most citizens are only offered a coronavirus test, once they have been hospitalized with severe symptoms, but the National Health Service (NHS) and Public Health England said in the last week that they were rapidly expanding their testing capacity.
As per sources, although Prince Charles has not been to the hospital, he was tested because of his age and medical history. Currently, he is self-isolating at his Scottish residence of Birkhall in Aberdeenshire, on the Queen’s Balmoral estate, with a few staff members keeping separate from him, while his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, who has been tested negative of the virus is self-isolating separately.
Prince Charles is the eldest child of the Queen, Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. Born on 14 November 1948, Charles is the heir apparent to the British throne as the eldest son of Elizabeth II. He was educated at Cheam and Gordonstoun schools. After his graduation, Charles served in the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy from 1971 to 1976, respectively. Since 1952, he has been Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay and is the oldest and longest-serving heir apparent in British history.
Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer, a member of the British Royal Family, in 1981. They had two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. However, after speculation of extramarital affairs by both the parties, Charles and Diana got divorced in 1996. Subsequently, in 2005, Charles married his long-time partner, Camilla Parker Bowles.
With Britain having more than 8,000 confirmed cases of the disease, and 422 deaths due to the coronavirus, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson issued stay-at-home orders this week in an effort to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. He noted that the police would intervene if any public gatherings were spotted. All shops, gyms and religious centers were closed, restricting people to only be allowed to step out of their homes “for very limited purposes” such as shopping for essentials, medical services, one kind of exercise or work, in only certain cases.
