Duchess Camilla has tested positive for COVID-19 shortly after her husband, Prince Charles, contracted the virus.
Clarence House confirmed the 74-year-old royal’s diagnosis in a statement to Us Weekly on Monday, February 14, noting, “Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall has tested positive for COVID-19 and is self-isolating. We continue to follow government guidelines.”
Both Camilla and the Prince of Wales, 73, have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. On Thursday, February 10, a statement from the palace announced that Charles was taking extra precautions after testing positive for a second time. (He previously battled the illness in March 2020.)
“HRH is deeply disappointed not to be able to attend today’s events in Winchester and will look to reschedule his visit as soon as possible,” Clarence House noted last week, adding that the future king was “self-isolating.”
Charles was at Windsor Castle with his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, two days before it was confirmed that he had COVID-19. The 95-year-old monarch was “being monitored” following her son’s diagnosis but had not shown any symptoms, a source told Us.
Earlier this month, the queen marked a record 70 years on the throne during her Platinum Jubilee. As the royal family celebrated, Elizabeth announced in a statement that Camilla would be given the title of Queen Consort when Charles takes over as sovereign.
“When, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes King, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me,” the royal matriarch noted on February 5. “And it is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service.”
At the time, the couple thanked Elizabeth for her “devotion” to the Commonwealth, noting in a statement of their own: “We are deeply conscious of the honor represented by my mother’s wish. As we have sought together to serve and support Her Majesty and the people of our communities, my darling wife has been my own steadfast support throughout.”
Camilla later told reporters at a royal engagement in London on Thursday that she was “very, very honored” and “very touched” by the queen’s gesture.
The queen’s relationship with her daughter-in-law has significantly improved over the years since Charles and Camilla tied the knot in 2005 after a “challenging” start, a source later told Us. “Through her dedication and loyalty to The Firm, she has more than proved to her that she has what it takes,” the insider noted.
Throughout the pandemic, the Duchess of Cornwall has proven herself to be a worthy successor. “She really upped her game and willingly took a hands-on approach with additional duties,” the source continued.
Charles, for his part, is “over the moon” that his wife has received his mother’s seal of approval. “It’s a dream come true,” a separate source noted.
The prince was previously married to the late Princess Diana, with whom he shared sons Prince William and Prince Harry. The exes finalized their divorce in 1996, one year before the Princess of Wales died in a Paris car crash.