Prince Charles Is "Keeping Calm and Carrying On" After His Coronavirus Diagnosis

A royal insider said that Charles remains "in good spirits" despite testing positive for COVID-19, maintaining "a sense of keeping calm and carrying on."

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  • A royal spokesperson announced Wednesday that Prince Charles had tested positive for coronavirus, the first of the British royal family to contract the illness.
  • An insider told People that Charles remains "in good spirits" despite the diagnosis, maintaining "a sense of keeping calm and carrying on." 
  • Camilla Parker Bowles, Duchess of Cornwall, tested negative for the virus, and is now self-isolating separately from her husband on a different part of the Balmoral estate.

Prince Charles became the first British royal to publicly announce their coronavirus diagnosis Wednesday, after a Clarence House spokesperson shared he'd tested positive for the virus—and yet he remains in "good spirits," a royal insider told People. His wife Camilla Parker Bowles, the Duchess of Cornwall—who tested negative for COVID-19—is also staying positive despite the bad news, the source said.

"Both of them remain in good spirits," the insider revealed. "There is a sense of keeping calm and carrying on. The duchess is concerned for him but she is aware of his own good spirits and therefore is keeping a close eye on him and mindful of her own situation. She is upbeat."

The couple recently left London for the Queen's Balmoral estate in Scotland, where they have their own home, Birkhall. Camilla moved to another part of the estate to quarantine herself after Charles' diagnosis, People reports. The royal family are self-isolating separately, with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip in Windsor, Kate Middleton and Prince William at Anmer Hall, and Meghan and Harry back in Canada.

While Prince Charles did meet with the Queen on March 12, a royal spokesperson confirmed Wednesday that she "remains in good health" and is "following all the appropriate advice with regard to her welfare."

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Emily Dixon
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Emily Dixon is a British journalist who’s contributed to CNN, Teen Vogue, Time, Glamour, The Guardian, Wonderland, The Big Roundtable, Bust, and more, on everything from mental health to fashion to political activism to feminist zine collectives. She’s also a committed Beyoncé, Kacey Musgraves, and Tracee Ellis Ross fan, an enthusiastic but terrible ballet dancer, and a proud Geordie lass.