The Prince of Wales has tested positive for Covid-19 and is now self-isolating, his office Clarence House has announced.
It is the second time the heir to the throne, Prince 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 [His royal highness] 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 Queen Elizabeth (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 image-based sexual abuse 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 – represent about 10 per cent of daily cases in England. – PA