Queen Consort Camilla Tests Positive for COVID, Cancels Events
Queen Consort Camilla, the wife of King Charles III, tested positive for COVID-19, nearly a year after the first time she was diagnosed with the virus. Buckingham Palace confirmed the news on Monday, adding that she will miss upcoming public events for the rest of the week. Camilla, 75, tested positive for the coronavirus for the first time in February 2022.
"After suffering the symptoms of a cold, Her Majesty The Queen Consort has tested positive for the Covid virus," Buckingham Palace said in a statement. "With regret, she has therefore canceled all her public engagements for this week and sends her sincere apologies to those who had been due to attend them."
The queen previously canceled a visit to Elmhurst Ballet School in Birmingham on Tuesday, reports BBC News. She was also set to travel to a library in Telford, Shropshire to meet outreach groups and community volunteers. Buckingham Palace said she contracted a "seasonal illness" before testing positive for COVID. On Wednesday, the king and queen were scheduled to host a reception at Clarence House for their online book club The Reading Room. Sources told BBC News that there are no plans to change King Charles' schedule.
Camilla's first bout with COVID was back in February 2022. She tested positive four days after Charles, then still Prince Charles, started self-isolation because he tested positive as well. At that time, the palace said Camilla was tripled-vaccinated against the virus.
Camilla and Charles have urged the public to get the COVID vaccines and booster shorts. In December 2021, they issued a tribute to scientists and healthcare workers across the U.K. They included a message to those who had not gotten a vaccine or were hesitant to.
"To all those who have not yet had the vaccine – or are hesitating before getting a booster – we can only urge you to look at the evidence in our intensive care wards and listen to those who work there," the couple wrote. "People who are unvaccinated are at least 10 times more likely to be hospitalized or die than those who have had two vaccine doses. That is why we urge everyone to get vaccinated and to take up the booster, as we have done ourselves."
Charles' son Prince William reportedly fought COVID days after his father did, sources told The Sun. However, he did not want to release a statement to alarm the public. "There were important things going on and I didn't want to worry anyone," William reportedly told an observer at an event.