Britain’s Prince William admits coronavirus fears for queen and Prince Charles
- The prince says his 71-year-old father is among those at risk, and that his grandparents have isolated themselves at Windsor Castle since the outbreak began
- The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were speaking to media as part of their work supporting mental health charities
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“I have to admit, at first I was quite concerned, he fits the profile of somebody, at the age he is at, which is fairly risky,” the Duke of Cambridge, Charles’ oldest son, told the BBC.
“But my father has had many chest infections, colds and things like that over the years and so I thought to myself if anybody is going to be able to beat this, it is going to be him,” he said.
In the end Charles had only mild symptoms, said William, 37.
The queen, 93, and her husband Prince Philip, 98, have been staying at Windsor Castle near London since the outbreak began.
“Obviously I think very carefully about my grandparents,” William added. “We are doing everything we can to make sure they are isolated and protected from this but it does worry me.”
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William and his wife, Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, spoke to the BBC as part of their work supporting mental health charities.
They urged people to look after their mental as well as their physical well-being during the lockdown.
“There is going to be an ever-increasing need for people to look after their mental health and take it seriously,” William said.
The couple also spoke about their own life at their home in Norfolk, eastern England – including the “challenging” task of home-schooling small children.
Prince George is six, Princess Charlotte four and Prince Louis will be two years old next week.
The duchess said they had faced “ups and downs” like many families – and also admitted that getting her children to cooperate on video calls with relatives could be tricky.
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“It’s quite hectic for them all to say the right thing at the right time without pressing the wrong buttons,” she said. “But it’s great and it’s nice to keep in touch with everybody.”
Meanwhile William’s younger brother, Prince Harry, and his wife, Meghan, handed out meals to sick people in Los Angeles, in their first known public activity since moving to California at the start of the state’s coronavirus lockdown.
The pair, who have formally stepped down as senior members of the British royal family, first volunteered with Project Angel Food on April 12, delivering food to people living with chronic illnesses.
“They were here Easter Sunday, and then they surprised us on Wednesday,” said communications manager Anne-Marie Williams. “They handed out to 20 of our clients, and they rocked their worlds.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex relocated to California last month after announcing in January that they intended to quit royal life and “work to become financially independent.”
They have kept a low profile, with even their location unknown amid unconfirmed reports that the pair are living in Malibu.
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It emerged last week that they are planning to launch a wide-ranging non-profit organisation in the United States named Archewell, focusing on mental health, education and well-being.
They said they wanted “to do something of meaning, to do something that matters”, but have delayed releasing full details because of the pandemic and will make an announcement “when the time is right”.
Los Angeles non-profit Project Angel Food, which delivers medically tailored food to chronically ill people, appears to be the first charity publicly supported by the pair since their secretive move.
