Prince Charles Is First Senior Royal To Be Diagnosed With Coronavirus

Topline: Britain’s Prince Charles has tested positive for coronavirus, becoming the first royal to be diagnosed with the illness.

• The senior royal is self-isolating at Queen Elizabeth’s Balmoral Estate in Scotland.
• The 71-year-old heir to the throne is with wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, who has reportedly tested negative for the pneumonia-like virus.
• According to Sky News, Prince Charles’ Clarence House office said in a statement: “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.”
• He was tested by the NHS in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The statement added: “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 U.K., government has in recent days advised the elderly to be particularly vigilant and take social distancing measures seriously, with every British resident aged over 70 expected to be contacted over the coming days and told to stay home.
• Those guidelines count the U.K’s most senior royals. As well as Prince Charles, the Queen is aged 93 while the Duke of Edinburgh is particularly vulnerable, aged 98. Charles’ wife Camilla is 72.

Key background: Earlier this month, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall cancelled their trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus and Jordan this month because of the pandemic, while Queen Elizabeth also cleared her schedule and is currently self-isolating at Windsor Castle. It is not known whether CHarles has had any contact with other senior royals apart from his wife.

Tangent: The U.K. has more than 8,100 cases of coronavirus, while at least 422 people have died.