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Prince Charles tests positive for coronavirus Prince Charles has coronavirus and is self-isolating in Scotland
(about 4 hours later)
Heir to the throne self-isolating at home in Scotland and is said to be ‘up and about’ Diagnosis comes as guests at Commonwealth Day service on 9 March were also told a flag-bearer had tested positive
Prince Charles has tested positive for coronavirus and is self-isolating at his home in Scotland, Clarence House has said. The Prince of Wales has coronavirus, it emerged on Wednesday, as hundreds of guests at a Commonwealth service attended by Charles and the Queen were told a flag-bearer at the event had tested positive.
Charles, 71, is said to be “up and about” and in “good spirits” and has continued to work for the last few days. Charles was said to be “up and about” and in good spirits at Birkhall, his 53,000-acre Highland estate in Scotland. He was tested on Monday after experiencing mild symptoms.
Doctors believe the earliest he would have been contagious was on 13 March. He last saw the Queen on 12 March, following an investiture. Clarence House said in a statement: “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.”
His last public engagement was also on 12 March. He has held private meetings since then. He joined the Queen, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at a Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey on 9 March. About 2,000 people, including politicians, ambassadors and schoolchildren, also attended the service.
It emerged on Wednesday that a person present at the service, understood to be one of the 54 flag-bearers, had also since tested positive. A Commonwealth secretariat spokesperson said: “Staff and other guests were informed immediately and urged to follow WHO and NHS advice. All staff are currently working from home.”
Charles, 71, was tested by the NHS after fulfilling the criteria in Aberdeenshire given his age and symptoms. He is self-isolating away from the Duchess of Cornwall, 72, also at Birkhall, but who has tested negative for the virus. She is also self-isolating.
The announcement by Clarence House raised immediate concerns for the health of the Queen. She last saw Charles on 12 March, following an investiture at Buckingham Palace, when the two met briefly. Doctors believe the earliest Charles would have been infectious is 13 March.
Buckingham Palace said: “Her Majesty the Queen remains in good health. The Queen last saw the Prince of Wales briefly on the morning of 12 March and is following all the appropriate advice with regard to her welfare.”Buckingham Palace said: “Her Majesty the Queen remains in good health. The Queen last saw the Prince of Wales briefly on the morning of 12 March and is following all the appropriate advice with regard to her welfare.”
It is not known whether the Queen has been tested for coronavirus. Charles’s last public engagement was also on 12 March, when he attended a Mansion House dinner hosted by William Russell, the lord mayor of the City of London, and George Brandis, the high commissioner for Australia, in aid of the bushfire relief and recovery effort.
Charles met Prince Albert of Monaco at a Water Aid event in London on 10 March. Prince Albert announced he had tested positive for coronavirus five days ago. The prince attended a WaterAid meeting in central London on 10 March. Prince Albert of Monaco, who revealed five days ago that he had tested positive for Covid-19, was also at the meeting.
Clarence House has said it is impossible to know how Charles became infected due to his very busy schedule of public engagements. Medical advice is that it is unlikely Charles’s condition will escalate into a more serious case. He is thought to have first exhibited symptoms over the weekend, but they were not pronounced enough for him to reconsider his travel plans.
Charles was tested on Monday after qualifying for an NHS test due to age and medical condition criteria in Aberdeenshire. He received the results on Tuesday. It is thought he was tested at Birkhall, his home on the Queen’s Balmoral estate in Aberdeenshire. There was no comment on exactly what symptoms Charles had displayed, except that they were mild.
Medical advice is that it is unlikely that his condition will escalate into a more serious case. He is thought to have first displayed symptoms over the weekend. He and the duchess arrived at Birkhall on Sunday. There is a small team of domestic staff with them, which will remain with them. The couple are said not to be interacting physically with their staff.
Clarence House said: “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. Charles has spoken both to the Duke of Cambridge, who is in Norfolk, and the Duke of Sussex, who is in Vancouver Island, since his diagnosis.
“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. Though he has had no public engagements since 12 March, he has hosted a small number of private meetings at Highgrove, his home in Gloucestershire, on Duchy of Cornwall business. The relevant people have been informed, but it is not known if they have been tested.
“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 couple fulfilled the criteria for testing by the NHS in Scotland. A spokesperson for the Scottish government said in statement: “Dr Catherine Calderwood, chief medical officer for Scotland, has confirmed that their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay [their official titles in Scotland] were tested for Covid-19 for clinical reasons. She is very pleased to confirm that both remain in good health.”
Camilla is self-isolating separately from Charles at Birkhall and will do so for 14 days.
No details have been made public about exactly what symptoms Charles has displayed, except that they are mild.
He and the duchess travelled to Birkhall on SundayThey have a small team of domestic staff who will remain there, sources have said.
The couple are said not to be interacting with that small team of staff in any way.
Charles is understood to have spoken to the Duke of Cambridge, who is in Norfolk, and the Duke of Sussex, who is on Vancouver Island.
Since his last public engagements on 12 March, Charles has held a small number of private meetings at Highgrove, his home in Gloucestershire, on Duchy of Cornwall business. The people he interacted with during those meetings have been informed of Charles’s diagnosis. It is not known whether they have been tested.
All senior members of the royal family were together on 9 March at a Commonwealth Day service.