Charles self-isolates after catching Covid for second time

The Prince of Wales has contracted coronavirus for a second time, and is self-isolating.

Charles, who first fell ill with Covid-19 in 2020, was said to be “deeply disappointed” to have to pull out of engagements in Winchester after a positive test on Thursday.

A message on his 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 73-year-old prince is triple vaccinated, but is yet to confirm whether he has been in physical contact with the Queen recently.

He will now need to self-isolate under current rules for 10 full days, but he could be free after five days if he tests negative on day five and day six.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has signalled that laws requiring people in England with Covid-19 to self-isolate will be lifted within weeks, meaning Charles just missed out on any changes.

Aides said the prince was found to be positive during a routine test – which suggested he was experiencing no strong symptoms – but they declined to go into further details on his medical condition.

Camilla tested negative on Thursday morning and continued with a busy day of solo engagements in London and Buckinghamshire, speaking for the first time of how she “very honoured and very touched” to be endorsed by the Queen as a future Queen Consort.

The prince’s diagnosis comes just days after the 95-year-old monarch marked her Platinum Jubilee by expressing her “sincere wish” that her daughter-in-law will be Queen Camilla at Charles’s side when he becomes 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, visited Paddington Haven sexual assault referral centre and the Nourish Hub community kitchen in west London, and the Thames Valley Partnership charity in Buckinghamshire.

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.

The prince first caught Covid-19 in March 2020. 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 the virus 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.

The announcement of the prince’s positive test was made just after midday, around 12 minutes before Charles was due to arrive in Winchester on a visit to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

Aides were only informed a few moments before.

More than 1,000 people had gathered behind barriers in the city’s Jewry Street, waiting to see the prince unveil a new statue of Licoricia of Winchester, a prominent Jewish moneylender who was murdered in 1277 during a period of antisemitism in the reign of Edward I which culminated in the expulsion of Jews from England in 1290.

The Queen’s representative in Hampshire, Lord Lieutenant Nigel Atkinson, announced the news to the crowd, who groaned with disappointment.

Resplendent in his ceremonial uniform, he read out a message from Charles.

“His Royal Highness has very generously sent us a message a couple of moments ago and I will read it,” he said.

The message said: “Ladies and gentlemen, I am so sorry that I cannot be with you today. I am desperately disappointed as I was so looking forward to marking this historic occasion with you.

“I hope very much that I will be able to visit at a future time. But for today please accept my most heartfelt apologies and my very best wishes as you mark this memorable occasion for Winchester.”

It was left to the Lord Lieutenant, with the aid of some local schoolchildren, to unveil the statue of Licoricia, which already has, a now historically incorrect, plaque at its base saying it was unveiled by the Prince of Wales.