Prince Charles, who has COVID, met the queen recently, a reliable source has told The Daily Beast, raising fears that he may inadvertently have infected his 96-year old mother who has suffered a string of health scares in recent months.
The palace said they would not comment on speculation the queen may have contracted the disease, but the source told The Daily Beast that Her Majesty is currently not displaying any symptoms.
The palace is believed to be unwilling to provide a running commentary on the health of either Charles or the queen for fear of stoking hysteria, however the royals had little choice but to announce that Charles had tested positive after he was forced to pull out of a long-planned engagement Thursday.
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The source said the meeting between Charles and the queen took place on Tuesday. The two are understood to have met at Buckingham Palace, where the queen had just returned from her country home of Sandringham after marking the milestone of chalking up 70 years on the throne.
In a statement issued Thursday, Charles’ office said: “This morning The Prince of Wales has tested positive for COVID-19 and is now self-isolating. HRH is deeply disappointed not to be able to attend today’s events in Winchester and will look to reschedule his visit as soon as possible.”
Prince Charles’ office has said that his infection was uncovered in the course of a routine test, suggesting that he did not seek a test as a result of symptoms.
Charles’ office has also issued an update on his wife Camilla Parker Bowles’ health, telling The Daily Beast that she was not positive.
In a statement, Clarence House said, “The Duchess of Cornwall has routinely tested negative today. She is on a separate series of engagements from the Prince of Wales.”
Prince Charles has been triple vaccinated against the virus and has also suffered a previous infection in the early weeks of the pandemic.
There has been a determined effort to protect the queen from contact with the virus, which has included the almost complete cancellation of all public events and a hugely reduced capsule crew of personal servants, known as HMS Bubble within palace walls.
