Kensington Palace has released further details about Prince William's coronavirus diagnosis
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge never fail to make viral news, and with their roles elevated this year, the royal couple are all anyone can talk about.
And while the Cambridge children get the most attention, from Prince George knowing he’s different from his siblings to Prince Louis’ love of cuddling, it's Prince William and Kate Middleton who spend the most time in front of the cameras.
This week, it was Prince William who made headlines as it emerged that he was diagnosed with COVID-19 in April, something he kept a secret so as not to alarm the nation.
According to reports, the Duke of Cambridge contracted coronavirus in April, just weeks after his father Prince Charles confirmed that he had tested positive.
And while he did not need to go to hospital, treated instead by Palace doctors, William's symptoms were thought to be fairly severe. He was reportedly struggling to breathe.
Due to the fact that one high profile royal family member had already been diagnosed however, it was reportedly decided that William's diagnosis would be kept under wraps so as not to spark public alarm.
Despite his illness, Prince William still kept up his royal duties from his Anmer Hall home where he was isolating, even opening Birmingham’s emergency Nightingale hospital via video link.
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This is something that Kensington Palace commented on this week, releasing further details.
According to royal reporter, Rebecca English: 'KP have belatedly confirmed that Prince William did have coronavirus in April - Kate and the children did not. Valid questions as to why this was kept secret, although KP say he didn’t want to alarm people after his father’s diagnosis. Original story by @clemmiemoodie.'
Another royal reporter, Richard Palmer added: 'I’m on holiday but it seems Kensington Palace is confirming that the Duke of Cambridge had Covid-19 in April and kept it secret. The UK expects honesty from public figures, particularly during a pandemic. This may be a cover-up that will haunt William and those advising him.'
'There were important things going on and I didn't want to worry anyone', read The Sun's original report. It added: 'At one stage he was struggling to breathe, so obviously everyone around him was pretty panicked.'
We will continue to update this story.
Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. She has worked at Marie Claire UK for seven years, rising from intern to Features Editor and is now the most published Marie Claire writer of all time. She was made a 30 under 30 award-winner last year and named a rising star in journalism by the Professional Publishers Association.
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