Prince Charles speaks on 'unprecedented and anxious time' after contracting coronavirus

Prince Charles is offering a hopeful message amid the coronavirus pandemic after recently testing positive for COVID-19 himself.

Charles, heir to the British throne, spoke in a video message on Wednesday after it was announced last week that he had contracted COVID-19. The Prince of Wales in his message said he was lucky in that he had "relatively mild symptoms," and he said that he continues to practice social distancing, although his seven-day period of self-isolation ended earlier this week.

"I find myself on the other side of the illness, but still in no less a state of social distance and general isolation," he said.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

In addition to Charles, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also announced last week he tested positive for COVID-19, saying his symptoms are mild and he is self-isolating.

Charles went on to reflect on the "strange, frustrating, and distressing experience" of living through the coronavirus pandemic, an "unprecedented and anxious time," saying he and his wife are thinking of those who have lost loved ones. He also praised medical professionals and volunteers for their "utter selfless devotion to duty" that makes "us so very proud."

The video message concludes on an optimistic note as Charles says that "none of us can say when this will end, but end it will," and "until it does, let us try and live with hope and, with faith in ourselves and each other, look forward to better times to come." Brendan Morrow