Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles' COVID-19 Scares: What to Know

The royal family is dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak within its ranks right now, and the story is moving fast. So far, Prince Charles, his wife Camilla Luddington and Queen Elizabeth II have tested positive. Here's a quick recap of the facts in this story.

Prince Charles was the first member of the royal family to test positive for the novel coronavirus way back in March of 2020. He caught it a second time his office announced on Thursday, Feb. 10. The office released a statement reading: "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."

Of course, there were immediate concerns for the people Prince Charles had been in contact with, particularly the 95-year-old queen. He had reportedly met with her two days before testing positive, so she was put under even closer observation than usual. At 73 years old, Prince Charles himself was at high risk as well.

While Prince Charles isolated, his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall did not according to a report by Entertainment Tonight. Her office announced that she had tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday, Feb. 14, meaning that for four days she went about her business as usual. This included a meet-and-greet with schoolchildren who may have been exposed.

Buckingham Palace did not comment on Prince Charles or Camilla's conditions, though they did note that both of them had mRNA vaccines. They reportedly got two initial doses and booster shots, as did the queen.

Finally, the palace announced on Sunday, Feb. 20 that Queen Elizabeth had tested positive for COVID-19 as well. The statement read: "Buckingham Palace confirm that The Queen has today tested positive for COVID. Her Majesty is experiencing mild cold-like symptoms but expects to continue light duties at Windsor over the coming week. She will continue to receive medical attention and will follow all the appropriate guidelines."

A royal correspondent told Sky News that there were "a number of cases... within Windsor Castle," indicating that this outbreak impacted the staff as well. The queen will not be hospitalized but will be treated at home by royal physicians.

Since all three of these royal family members are elderly, they are considered high-risk patients for COVID-19 – even with the aid of mRNA vaccines. The palace notes that Prince Charles has already made a full recovery, but there are no updates on the status of Camilla or the queen.

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