Prince William Tested Positive for COVID-19 Earlier This Year

According to sources close to the royal family, Prince William reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 in April and exhibited serious symptoms. The BBC reports that William, the Duke of Cambridge, most likely tested positive around the same time his father Prince Charles also tested positive for COVID-19, caused by the coronavirus, in late March.

Per The Sun, which first reported William’s diagnosis today, November 2nd, the prince decided to keep his positive test results under wraps so not to concern the nation, as he is the second in line for the throne. He carried on business as usual from isolation at a family home in Norfolk, England.

However, according to a royal source, Prince William did experience some of the more severe symptoms of COVID-19 including difficulty breathing.

Kensington Palace has yet to comment on Prince William’s positive diagnosis.

As the BBC reports, the U.K. is on the verge of entering into another national lockdown, slated to begin Thursday, November 5th. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who also tested positive for COVID-19 in April, announced the decision after the U.K. passed the 1 million-case milestone.

The hope is that the month-long shutdown will contain the autumn surge, Johnson said, per CNN.

Restaurants, pubs, and non-essential businesses like salons and gyms will be forced to close during the lockdown, but schools and universities can stay open. CNN reports that the U.K.’s Office for National Statistics currently estimates that 1 in 100 people in England are carrying COVID, which averages out to about 568,100 people. In July, the Office for National Statistics estimated that 1 in 2,300 were carrying coronavirus, which steeply jumped to a 1 in 200 estimate at the beginning of October.

Prince William, Prince Charles, and those close to them, are reportedly all healthy and COVID-free as of today, November 2nd.