Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Charles tests positive for Covid and is self-isolating

The Prince of Wales cancelled engagements in Winchester after confirmation he had the virus.

Laura Elston
Thursday 10 February 2022 07:43 EST
The Prince of Wales (PA)
The Prince of Wales (PA) (PA Wire)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The Prince of Wales has tested positive for Covid-19 and is now self-isolating, Clarence House has announced.

It is the second time heir to the throne Charles 73, has contracted coronavirus, after he fell ill with the virus in 2020.

A message on the prince’s official Twitter page read: “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.”

Clarence House confirmed the prince is triple vaccinated, but is yet to confirm whether he has been in physical contact with the Queen recently.

The development comes just days after the Queen, 95, marked her Platinum Jubilee by expressing her “sincere wish” that the Duchess of Cornwall would be Queen Camilla at Charles’s side when he is one day King.

On Wednesday evening, Charles met scores of people and was accompanied by Camilla at a reception in the British Museum to celebrate the work of the British Asian Trust (BAT).

The duchess meanwhile carried on with her engagements on Thursday, visiting Paddington Haven, a sexual assault referral centre in West London where she met former Love Island star Zara McDermott and discussed her experience of revenge porn and assault.

At the British Asian Trust reception, Charles spoke about the “devastating impact” the pandemic has had on south Asia.

Using his pet name for Camilla, which means “darling” or “beloved” in Urdu, he said: “I cannot quite believe it is almost two years to the day that both my mehabooba and myself were able to be with all of you to celebrate the work of the British Asian Trust.

Charles was in close contact with Chancellor Rishi Sunak, Home Secretary Priti Patel and former Liverpool footballer Ian Rush.

In March 2020, the prince caught Covid-19. He suffered a mild form of the virus and described how he lost his sense of taste and smell.

Covid reinfections – where someone tests positive for Covid-19 more than 90 days after a previous positive result – currently represent around 10% of daily cases in England.

Of the 14.8 million infection episodes in England since the start of the pandemic, some 588,114 (4.0%) are likely reinfections.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in