Queen Elizabeth, 93, has already escaped London, where the Covid-19 disease is spreading quickly. She moved a week earlier from Buckingham Palace on Thursday to Windsor Castle, where she normally lives at Easter.

Her 98-year-old husband Prince Philip joined her from his residence in Wood Farm, Sandringham.

Given her advanced years, there has been little public criticism of the queen’s precautionary move, as the deadly coronavirus ripped through the world.

Having dedicated her life to public service, it would be British tragedy if she were to die and not be able to have a state funeral because of a ban on large gatherings.

Prince Charles, 71, the next in line to the throne and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, were in Balmoral in Scotland. Under new UK government instructions all people over 70 should self-isolate for at least three months.

‘Scared’ in London as UK coronavirus spread accelerates

Charles came into close contact with Prince Albert of Monaco at an event in London on March 10. Albert was the first member of a European royal family to test positive for Covid-19.

The 62-year-old sovereign of the enclave on the French Mediterranean coast was being closely monitored by his doctor and specialists, and his health “does not give any cause for concern,” according to a statement from the palace of Monaco last Thursday.

The European Union’s chief negotiator for Brexit, Michel Barnier, also said on Thursday he had tested positive for coronavirus.

Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks and his wife, actress Rita Wilson, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s wife Sophie were also among public figures who have tested positive for the virus which has infected almost 300,000 people across the world and left more than 12,700 dead.

“As Philip and I arrive at Windsor today, we know that many individuals and families across the United Kingdom, and around the world, are entering a period of great concern and uncertainty,” the queen said in her first statement on the pandemic last Thursday.

“We are all being advised to change our normal routines and regular patterns of life for the greater good of the communities we live in and, in particular, to protect the most vulnerable within them.”

She called on people to come together and thanked the work of the country’s scientists, medical practitioners and emergency service workers.

“Many of us will need to find new ways of staying in touch with each other and making sure that loved ones are safe. I am certain we are up to that challenge. You can be assured that my family and I stand ready to play our part,” she said.

The Sunday Times reported the queen would give a televised address to the nation in coming days, the first since her own mother died in 2002.

The traditional round of early summer garden parties and state visits, including that of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan, have been postponed until next year.

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The queen’s normal weekly face-to-face meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson was carried out by phone last week. The only visitors she received before leaving Buckingham Palace was the Bishop of Hereford and the incoming and outgoing commanders of the new aircraft carrier HMS Elizabeth, which is expected to be deployed to the South China Sea next year.

Prince William raised eyebrows a fortnight ago for joking about the coronavirus as he chatted to emergency workers at a reception hosted by the UK’s ambassador to Ireland Robin Barnett in Dublin.

The father-of-three was recorded asking a paramedic: “I bet everyone’s like ‘I’ve got coronavirus, I’m dying’, and you’re like ‘no, you’ve just got a cough’.

“Does it seem quite dramatic about coronavirus at the moment? Is it being a little bit hyped up do you think in the media?,” he said.

Will the coronavirus crisis kill Brexit?

“By the way, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are spreading coronavirus, Sorry.

“We’re keeping an eye on that, so do tell us if we need to stop.”

Latest figures show 177 people have died in UK from the coronavirus, with 5,018 testing positive. However, government health experts say tens of thousands of British people are probably infected.

The prime minister has warned that Britain’s medical system is only two or three weeks away from being swamped, as has happened to the Italian health service.

With thousands of Britons potentially facing death, this event could be the biggest crisis for 37-year-old William, the future king.

“Whenever and wherever adversity strikes, the people of the United Kingdom have a unique ability to pull together,” he said in a video message, urging people to donate to the National Emergencies Trust, which was established in 2017 to raise funds in the event of a disaster or emergency.

“The way that local communities support those affected shows the very best of our values and human nature”.

A question mark hangs over whether William’s younger brother Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex will be asked to return to the UK to help with the propaganda effort. Harry and his wife Meghan Markle quit as senior members of the royal family in January and are currently self-isolating in a mansion on Vancouver Island in Canada.

Amid reports of extreme familial tension between the two brothers, the couple have come under fire for the tone of some of their Instagram posts.

Harry and Meghan focused on the mental health aspects of the pandemic – but drew some social media backlash by suggesting people become “digital counsellors” and advised people in abusive relationships to talk to one.

“With everything going on, it’s a lot to take in,” they wrote. “Many of us may feel confused. Or alone, or anxious or scared … and in isolation, some of us may just feel bored, or that you don’t know what to do with yourself without your normal routine. It’s perfectly normal to be feeling any of these things.

“If you’re home and feeling bored, you can digitally train to be a counsellor and HELP someone who really needs your support! What an amazing way to use this time.

If you are in an abusive relationship and now find yourself in isolation with your abuser, these counsellors are there for you. You do not need to suffer in silence.”

“Bored=become a counsellor????? Shame on you for discrediting a highly skilled profession that takes years to qualify. Utterly abhorrent,” wrote Twitter user serendipity1703.

One Italian doctor pointed out she started a shift Sunday at 6am with a ward full of Covid-19 patients. “So I shouldn’t feel bad then,” she wrote.

The couple were also accused of deleting posts they didn’t like.

The queen’s husband, Prince Philip – who is famous for his gaffes – also came under fire last week for a comment he made 32 years ago to the German media.

“In the event that I am reincarnated, I would like to return as a deadly virus, to contribute something to solving overpopulation,” he told Deutsche Press Agentur in 1988. Social media has been aflame with rumours he has already died.

Additional reporting by Bloomberg and Reuters