Prince William faces criticism for keeping his coronavirus diagnosis secret, which activists have demanded: “Did he tell the people he worked with?
The Duke of Cambridge was under pressure today to reveal whether the Palace was under contact tracing to contain the potentially deadly virus, after his positive diagnosis was not made public.
William fell ill with COVID in April and reportedly had breathing problems, but unlike his father, he decided to keep the positive test result secret.
The news only surfaced after he mentioned that he had survived the disease during a recent engagement.
Graham Smith, chief executive of the Anti-Monarchy Campaign Group Republic, told Washington Newsday: “This damages the trust journalists could have in what he says about anything.
“It’s not really justified, considering that all the other public figures have spoken openly about it.
“There are also questions about who he told. Did he tell the people he worked with?
“I think the palace needs to know who he had contact with, whether they took precautions and whether they were honest about his diagnosis.
“This is quite an extraordinary thing, considering that all the others, who are far more important in this pandemic, are completely honest about their own health, that he somehow finds it appropriate to lie about his health.
William was severely affected by the virus and suffered from respiratory problems, but kept his diagnosis secret because he did not want to alarm the country, The Sun reported.
He isolated himself at his country retreat Anmer Hall in Norfolk after signing the COVID contract in April, shortly after his father Prince Charles.
Royal biographer Robert Lacey said William had kept the diagnosis secret because he had inherited the stoic style from Queen Elizabeth II.
The author of “Battle of Brothers”, about William’s break with Prince Harry, reported on Newsday in Washington: “I think he had the right to treat it as a private matter. This does not raise a constitutional question.
If the future king falls ill during a lockdown with a potentially deadly virus that the whole world is worried about, and he and those around him cover it up, it raises serious questions about whether we can trust anything he or his advisors say.
– Richard Palmer (@RoyalReporter) November 1, 2020
“It is his private decision how he wants to deal with the disease, and he has set an example in public by wearing a face mask and talking about the psychological challenges that the virus poses.
“I would not hold his behavior responsible.”
He added, “I think it’s completely part of William’s style. He is royalty without any nonsense.
“I think it raises an interesting debate about what a better example is: suffering COVID publicly and everyone identifies with it, or Prince William has adopted another, equally laudable, strategy of silence.
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“He probably followed the rules for as long as he had to, and then got on with it”.
Official royal diary: In the court circular, Prince William’s last personal royal engagement before the March ban is recorded as taking place on March 19.
William and his wife Kate Middleton visited the NHS 111 call handling service at London Ambulance in Croydon.
The couple also have staff in their home in Anmer Hall under normal circumstances.
Charles showed symptoms over the weekend of March 21-22, before isolating himself for seven days in the Scottish retreat of Birkhall.
