Prince Charles, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and the heir to the British throne, has contracted the coronavirus, Buckingham Palace said on Wednesday, adding that he had been suffering from mild symptoms since last weekend.
Medical advisers said that Charles was otherwise in good health and that they did not expect the virus to develop into a more serious illness, according to an official at the palace. But Charles, who is 71, met with the queen on March 12 — only a day before the advisers said it was possible that he became infectious with the virus.
The prince’s illness, and his potential exposure to the queen and other members of the royal family, rattled an already nervous Britain, which has seen the number of cases and deaths accelerate rapidly over the last few days, prompting Prime Minister Boris Johnson to put the country into a virtual lockdown....