Prince William's COVID-19 diagnosis was 'no secret' within the royal family

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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.

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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.

While the rest of the world were kept in the dark, a source told Vanity Fair that there were no secrets within the royal family.

'My understanding was that he was not bed-ridden and actually coped pretty well with the virus, working for most of the time he had it,' a source explained. 'It was no secret among the family, but William didn’t want it getting out because he didn’t want to worry the nation.'

Another source added: 'The priority was keeping HMQ shielded and safe, which was thankfully what happened. But of course the Queen was worried for Charles and William and relieved that they suffered only minor symptoms.'

The Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis did not catch coronavirus.

We will continue to update this story.

Jenny Proudfoot
Features Editor

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.