Camilla Parker Bowles , also known as the Duchess of Cornwall,
has been in the spotlight lately. On February 5, 2022, the Queen made the big announcement
that Camilla would be known as Queen Consort when Prince Charles finally becomes King.
On February 9, Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla attended an event at the British
Museum and interacted with dozens of people. The engagement was the couple's
first appearance together since the Queen's announcement, meaning all eyes were on them.
A day later, Prince Charles announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19,
marking the second time he has been infected with the virus. According to the Daily Mail,
Prince Charles discovered the result while taking a routine test before a
public engagement. CNN reported that Prince Charles was self-isolating and would not
be participating in a statue unveiling in Winchester he had been scheduled to attend.
Questions immediately arose about the health of the Queen and others who had spent time with
Prince Charles in the days before his positive test. According to the Daily Mail, the Queen met
with her son two days earlier, and she continues to be closely monitored for signs of COVID-19.
"But there is some concern for his mother,
the queen. She is 95-years-old. And we understand she last saw her son on Tuesday."
Sadly, on Monday, February 14, 2022, a spokesman for Clarence House confirmed that Camilla, Duchess
of Cornwall had also tested positive. Like Prince Charles, she was subsequently self-isolating.
Camilla is vaccinated and boosted, so in the days between her husband's positive test
and her own, she was not required to self-isolate,
in compliance with England's current COVID restrictions.
Prince Charles is also triple vaccinated. The couple confirmed their vaccination status in
December and issued a statement encouraging people to follow their example, saying,
"People who are unvaccinated are at least 10 times more likely to
be hospitalised or die than those who have had two vaccine doses."
On February 10, Camilla had tested negative prior to attending her own public appearances,
which included a visit to Thames Valley Partnership,
Paddington Haven, and the community kitchen Nourish Hub.
Like much of the world, the Omicron variant is dominant in the U.K. According to CNBC,
in a January 2022 study, the Omicron variant represented 99% of the U.K.'s sequenced cases.
Scientific American reports that Omicron is so contagious that one case can turn into six cases
in four days. Despite Omicron's contagiousness and its abilities to evade immune defenses,
vaccines and booster shots remain a powerful tool in avoiding serious illness.
Of course, with Charles and Camilla's COVID-19 diagnoses, the public is concerned about the
possibility that Queen Elizabeth II could come down with the virus. According to multiple
reports, she is being closely monitored and is not showing any symptoms. Thankfully, the 95-year-old
monarch is vaccinated. Victoria Murphy, the royal contributor for ABC News, told the outlet,
"With the queen, they're balancing the situation [...] She is head of state and
there is a sense that the public does need and want to know, but at the same time,
she's a very elderly lady who is entitled to a certain amount of medical privacy."
This is not the first time Charles and the queen have had a run-in with COVID-19.
When the virus was first peaking in March 2020, Charles also produced a positive test.
At the time, fans were fearful for the queen, as there were no vaccines
and we didn't know nearly as much as we know now about the virus.
Thankfully, she didn't get sick, and Charles only experienced mild symptoms and recovered quickly.
Of course, Camilla's recent COVID-19 diagnosis followed shortly after the news broke that Queen
Elizabeth would be giving the duchess a new title when Prince Charles becomes king. The queen shared
that she would like her daughter-in-law to be known as queen consort, stating,
"And when, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes king, I know you will give him and his
wife Camilla the same support that you have given me; and it is my sincere wish that, when
that time comes, Camilla will be known as queen consort as she continues her own loyal service."
Since Charles famously cheated on Princess Diana, there were previously ill feelings
towards the Duchess of Cornwall. It seems Charles' heart was always set on Camilla,
and now she will join him when he becomes king as his queen consort.
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