Prince Charles, the first in line for the British throne after Queen Elizabeth II, has tested positive for the China coronavirus, a statement from his household has said.
Clarence House, the royal residence responsible for the Prince of Wales’ affairs, said in a statement Wednesday morning that he had tested positive for coronavirus and was now self-isolating in Scotland.
Prince Charles’ symptoms were described as “mild”, and the statement said the royal “otherwise remains in good health”. His wife, the Duchess of Cornwall was also tested for coronavirus but is not infected.
The first in line to the throne has dedicated his life to charity and good causes, and has often stoked controversy with his views, which at times have gone against the stream of establishment opinion. In the 1980s, he frequently spoke out against bad architecture and civic planning, agitating against modernist design and favouring towns and buildings that were more friendly to humans and less primarily intended for automobiles.
This century, his views on environmental conservation have been more prominent, and have clashed with the jet-setting lifestyles of other Royals, particularly Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, who have ruffled feathers by frequently flying to attend events while lecturing the general public on having to fly less frequently.
The British Monarchy, which is also the monarchy for 15 other Commonwealth Realms including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea, passes by descent. If Queen Elizabeth II were to pass away, the crown would go to Prince Charles, and after him to his son, Prince William.
The long-lived Queen Elizabeth II has enjoyed a historically long reign — the longest in British history, and became the 4th longest in world history earlier this month. The 93-year-old moved from her London Buckingham Palace to Windsor Castle on March 19th and was photographed being driven out of the Palace with a dog sitting besides her in the car.
Her husband, Second World War naval officer the Duke of Edinburgh travelled by separate car.
The Clarence House statement 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.
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.