The Duke of Cambridge reportedly battled COVID-19 in April of this year after his father Prince Charles and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had contracted the virus. Boris Johnson became so sick he was placed in the intensive care unit of a London hospital.
Prince William is the fourth royal to have been diagnosed with the coronavirus. Prince Albert of Monaco was the first, followed by the Prince of Wales and Prince Joachim of Belgium. Prince William’s uncle, Charles Spencer (the younger brother of the late Diana, Princess of Wales) also suffered from the disease earlier this year. It is currently unclear if any other royals contracted the virus.
The Sun reported the news late last night, explaining that Prince William didn’t make his diagnosis public because he didn’t want to worry the public after both the Prince of Wales and Prime Minister had revealed they had caught the virus.
Prince William hasn’t publicly confirmed this, but reports claim that he told an observer about his experience at an engagement: “There were important things going on, and I didn’t want to worry anyone.”
The Duke isolated in his and his family’s Norfolk home, Anmer Hall, with his wife, Duchess of Cambridge and his three children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. He was treated by Buckingham Palace doctors, a source told the red-top paper. He followed government guidelines.
He continued to undertake engagements remotely during the month via video and telephone. He carry out 14 telephone and video call engagements. The fact Prince William continued with his engagements suggests any symptoms would have been mild.
Despite the impact the virus had on him, the duke continued to contact frontline NHS workers to tell them how ‘proud’ he was of their commitment.
Click here to see The Duke of Cambridge’s 2020 Engagement Count!
It is unknown when the prince contracted the virus. On 19th March, a week before the nation was plunged into lockdown, he and Kate visited the London Ambulance Service in Croydon.
There was a seven-day break from calls and video messages in his appearances after 9th April, but during April carried out multiple engagements, including appearing on the BBC’s charity Comic Relief show, alongside comedian and author Stephen Fry. He was also filmed outside Anmer Hall leading Kate and their children George, Charlotte and Louis in the ‘Clap for Carers.’
On 16th April, he opened the coronavirus Nightingale Hospital Birmingham via video link.
During April, when William was struck down, he also spoke to the FA about mental health and called the Crown Prince of Jordan. Government guidance has been those with the virus should isolate for one week only.
Speaking to The Sun, a source said: “William was hit pretty hard by the virus – it really knocked him for six. At one stage he was struggling to breathe, so obviously, everyone around him was pretty panicked.
“After seeing medics and testing positive – which was obviously quite a shock given how fit and healthy he is – William was determined it should be business as usual though. He was determined to fulfill his engagements.”
William made a public appearance in mid-October with his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II, who was making her first public engagement outside of a royal residence since early March. They met with scientists at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down in southern England.
A source told The Sun, “The Queen delivered her ‘We Will Meet Again’ address (on April 5, the day that Boris Johnson was hospitalized) and he just didn’t want to worry people. He felt there were more important things going on in the country.”
“But as a result of his own experiences, he realizes absolutely anyone can catch this awful disease — and knows how imperative it is that we all take this second lockdown seriously.”
The news about William’s coronavirus battle broke the day after Johnson announced Britain was entering a second national lockdown, after it was revealed the UK had passed more than one million coronavirus cases.
Prince Charles, who tested positive in late March, said in June he had “got away with it quite lightly…I was lucky in my case… but I’ve had it, and I can so understand what other people have gone through.”
Charles said he felt “particularly for those who have lost their loved ones and have been unable to be with them at the time. That, to me, is the most ghastly thing. But in order to prevent this happening to so many more people, I’m so determined to find a way out of this.”
Charles said in June that he had been “terribly sad” at not being able to see the rest of the family because of the pandemic.
Charles had mild COVID-19 symptoms in March. In his first public engagement after recovering, Charles revealed he lost his sense of taste and smell while he was sick.
In April, Boris Johnson was admitted to hospital after testing positive for the virus. The prime minister was moved to intensive care and later thanked healthcare workers for saving his life, saying it “could have gone either way”.
Embed from Getty ImagesKensington Palace, the office and home of Prince William, have declined to comment but didn’t deny the report. The palace confirmed that while William tested positive for COVID-19, none of his children nor his wife caught the virus.
It comes after the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge appeared on the Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards on Sunday evening, where they presented NHS workers with the special recognition gong.
The Duke told workers during a visit to St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London last week: “We cannot thank you enough.
“On behalf of a grateful nation, it is a tremendous honour for Catherine and I to present this special recognition award to the army of dedicated NHS staff.”
Kate added: “Through our conversations with frontline workers during the pandemic, we have been inspired by their stories of bravery and selflessness.”
BBC royal correspondent, Jonny Dymond, said Prince William’s condition may not have been revealed publicly at the time as they may have wanted to avoid further alarm, given the national mood.
“But the palace also tries to preserve some privacy for the Royal Family,” their correspondent adds.
Embed from Getty ImagesRoyal health is often a private matter, unless it affects their ability to carry out planned duties, or is serious; even then, only the bare minimum of details are shared.
Commentators and royal fans are split over the decision to keep the Duke’s alleged-illness secret. Some believe he did the right thing, after both The Prince of Wales and Prime Minister suffered with the virus at similar times, and Johnson even being admitted to the ICU for a few days after his condition worsened.
Others think it might have shown the severity of the problem, that a young fit person could be affected.
While many have questioned William’s decision since it was revealed at the weekend, one royal commentator has claimed the way the Duke kept up with royal duty despite his diagnosis will be “widely appreciated by the public.”
According to royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams, William’s decision was a lot to do with timing and must be understood in a wider context.
Mr Fitzwilliams told Express.co.uk: “The revelation that Prince William tested positive for COVID-19 but did not reveal it will raise questions about how far the right to privacy in such circumstances extends to senior members of the Royal Family.
“There are those who believe that, as he is the second in line to the throne, this should have been public knowledge.”
The expert added: “It is instructive to remember what the situation actually was at the time he contracted the virus.
“On March 27, Prime Minister Boris Johnson tested positive.
“He went into hospital on April 5 and was moved into intensive care, he recovered but was not discharged from hospital for a week and did not return to Downing Street until April 26.
“On March 25 the Prince of Wales tested positive but displayed only mild symptoms.”
Mr Fitzwilliams added: “He spent seven days self-isolating and totally recovered, though there were accusations that he had used his position to secure priority testing.
“Any country, however, would have given this to someone in his position.
“Against this background, and with a national lockdown in place, had it been known William, our future king, had tested positive, it would have led to more concern which happily proved needless.”
Mr Fitzwilliams claimed that William’s decision revealed a deeply private side to the dutiful future king.
The expert said: “William is reported to have said that he did not want to worry anyone.
“He did, however, give an interview with the BBC in mid-April where he expressed his anxiety about this father’s condition owing to his age, but omitted to mention that he had been afflicted at what has been reported to be a similar time.
“He continued to carry out engagements including some 14 telephone and video calls whilst self-isolating.
“His ‘keep calm and carry on’ attitude while keeping safe in line with government advice will, I think, be widely appreciated by the public, it appears to exemplify his grandmother’s dedication to duty whilst showing how fiercely he guards his own privacy.
“The way he has done it will, however, undoubtedly be controversial.”
Royal author Robert Jobson lashed out against Kensington Palace, writing: “Prince William’s decision to LIE about contracting COVID-19 earlier – for whatever reason – is appalling.
“Kensington Palace were asked several times by the media whether Prince William had contracted the virus and were told categorically ‘no’.
“This has created a serious issue of trust.”If the Palace is prepared to LIE about an issue as serious as Prince William, second in line to the throne, contracting COVID-19 what else have they LIED about when questioned by the press and why should the media believe any denials going forward?
“This raises serious issues.”
The Daily Express royal correspondent Richard Palmer made a comparison between Prince William’s decision to hide his diagnosis with the transparency required by world leaders.
He said: “This may be a cover-up that will haunt William and those advising him.
“If the future King contracts a potentially fatal virus that the entire world is worried about during a lockdown and he and those around him cover it up, that raises serious questions about whether we can trust anything he or his advisers say.
“If Boris Johnson, Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron, Angela Merkel, Donald Trump, or Joe Biden had covered up a positive test for COVID-19, many people would not be praising them for ‘not wanting to worry people’.”
Below, we’ve included a small survey to get the opinion of ‘Cambridges News’ readers and followers. You can share your opinions on this topic with other people through this survey.
News of the reported royal diagnosis comes just before England is to enter a second national lockdown; four-weeks of tight restrictions will start on Thursday, with schools, universities, and manufacturing to remain open, but all non-essential businesses to close.
Another 23,254 cases of coronavirus were recorded yesterday, and a further 162 people were reported to have died within 28 days of a positive test. UK deaths from Covid-19 now stand at 46,717.
The Duke of Cambridge’s Royal Duties in Last April
1 April: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge calls staff at Queen’s Hospital Burton following the death of consultant Amged El-Hawrani.
1 April: Their Royal Highnesses afterwards talked to staff at University Hospital Monklands, Airdrie, Lanarkshire, via telephone.
8 April: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge carried out their first royal engagement via video call to school children whose parents are working on the frontline.
William and Kate were seen giggling as the pupils, wearing Easter-themed bunny ears, presented them with a ‘virtual’ bouquet of paper flowers.
The couple, dialing in from their Norfolk home, Anmer Hall, spoke to staff and youngsters from Casterton Primary Academy in Lancashire, where teachers are helping to look after the children of key workers in frontline services including the NHS and social care, as well as supermarkets and delivery drivers.
The Duke and Duchess were keen to thank staff for all they were doing during the Covid-19 epidemic as well talk about the effect it is having on the youngsters.
9 April: The Duke of Cambridge this afternoon held a Meeting via video link with the Moorlands Community Charity, Goole, East Riding of Yorkshire, who have received funding from the National Emergencies Trust coronavirus appeal.
9 April: His Royal Highness afterwards held a Meeting via video link with Dal Dy Dir, near Newtown, Powys, who have received funding from the National Emergencies Trust coronavirus appeal.
10 April – 15 April: The Duke has a six-day break from calls and video messages.
16 April: The Duke of Cambridge opens Birmingham Nightingale Hospital via video link.
The Duke, said the temporary field hospital – built inside the NEC exhibition centre in just eight days – was also a ‘wonderful example’ of the ‘pulling together’ going on up and down the UK amid the Covid-19 outbreak.
He later released footage of a call he made to the team behind the hospital to thank them for their efforts – and was told the temporary facility was built ‘on kindness’.
William spoke to a group of staff via videophone from his Norfolk home to learn more about the project and their experiences working while the country is in lockdown, a clip of the conversation was posted on Instagram.
22 April: The Duke of Cambridge this morning held a Meeting with staff from Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust via a conference call.
22 April: His Royal Highness, Joint Patron, the Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, afterwards held a Roundtable Meeting to discuss emergency responder mental health via video link.
22 April: The Duke of Cambridge later held a Meeting with The Crown Prince of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan via telephone.
23 April: The Duke of Cambridge makes a surprise appearance in a hilarious Blackadder sketch with Stephen Fry in aid of The Big Night In coronavirus fundraiser.
Melchett paced around his office impatiently waiting for the Duke to call in, quipping: ‘I thought Germans were meant to be punctual’.
Apologising, William said Zoom was ‘complicated stuff’, later revealing homeschooling Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte is proving a ‘bit of a nightmare’ in lockdown.
The Duke said he is struggling to cope with not being able to watch EastEnders, but refused the Blackadder star’s recommendation of trying Netflix sensation Tiger King instead, adding: ‘I tend to avoid shows about royalty.’
As their virtual exchange drew to a close, Melchett reminded William to go out and clap for the NHS at 8pm, before William joked about not wearing any trousers.
The show then cut to the Cambridges clapping on their doorstep in Norfolk as part of the weekly show of gratitude for health and social care workers.
23 April: The Duke joins the family to lead fifth week of Clap For the Carers.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their three children all wore NHS blue as they led the Clap for Carers.
The Duke stood alongside the Duchess Kate, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis who all put their hands together and praise everyone from NHS healthcare workers to shop assistants who are risking their lives to keep the country going.
24 April: The Duke of Cambridge, Joint Patron, the Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, this afternoon held a Meeting with Mr Richard Curtis (Co-Founder, Comic Relief) and Mr Stephen Fry (Actor and Writer) via video link.
27 April: The Duke of Cambridge this morning held a Meeting with Ms Victoria Hornby (Chief Executive Officer, Mental Health Innovations) via telephone.
30 April: The Duke of Cambridge this morning participated in a Meeting with the Duchy of Cornwall Finance Committee via telephone.
30 April: His Royal Highness, President the Football Association, and Joint Patron, the Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, this afternoon held a mental halth Meeting via video link.
Cambridges News 