Coronavirus: Queen holds audience with PM by remote, Prince Charles met George Brandis before testing positive
Australia’s High Commissioner dined with Prince of Wales days before the royal tested positive.
Queen Elizabeth has held her weekly audience with the British Prime Minister by remote, for the first time in her reign.
The Queen spoke to Boris Johnson by phone from Windsor Castle, where she is in self isolation with Prince Philip and just a handful of staff.
Throughout her decades long reign, the Queen has met all her prime ministers in a drawing room in whoever royal residence she is staying at the time.
But with cases rising in the UK, the country in total lockdown and her son Prince Charles testing positive, she is taking all precautions.
It has also emerged that Australia’s High Commissioner George Brandis attended a dinner at Mansion House with Prince Charles, days before the Prince tested positive on Tuesday,
Buckingham Palace released a picture of the Queen, and one of Mr Johnson presumably on the other end of the phone, on Instagram on Thursday, confirming the teleconference.
“The Queen held her weekly Audience with the Prime Minister today by telephone. Her Majesty – pictured this evening at Windsor Castle – has held a weekly Audience with her Prime Minister throughout her reign,” the caption read.
Earlier this week, it was reported that the monarch would hold video chats with her family to minimise contact but royal aides have yet to work out how to do this without compromising the royals’ cyber security.
The monarch’s phone chat comes amid fears that she might have contracted the virus from Prince Charles, who has tested positive for COVID-19 although he is showing only mild symptoms, according to Clarence House.
Charles saw the Queen on March 12, two days after he attended a dinner with Prince Albert of Monaco, 62, who has also tested positive.
Questions over how Charles got COVID test
There have been some questions over how Prince Charles managed to get a test, when he is displaying only “mild symptoms.’’
Across the United Kingdom, testing for coronavirus is limited to patients in intensive care and others at risk in hospitals. When more testing becomes available soon, the extra tests will be carried out on medical staff.
While it would be considered appropriate for the heir to the throne to be given a test, Clarence House insisted in a statement that Charles was tested by the National Health Service in Aberdeenshire on Monday after showing mild symptoms over the weekend when he travelled from London to the Balmoral estate in Scotland.
The news Charles has the virus came on the same day that it was revealed a junior British diplomat has died from coronavirus. Stephen Dick, 37, the deputy head at the British embassy in Budapest died on Tuesday, the Foreign Office has announced. It was unclear if he had other health issues. But a 21-year-old woman, Chloe Middleton from Buckinghamshire, is the youngest Briton without apparent pre-existing health issues to die from the disease. Her mother, Diane, wrote: “To all the people out there that think it’s just a virus, please think again. Speaking from a personal experience, this so-called virus has taken the life of my 21-year-old daughter.”
The government advice is for anyone with cold symptoms to self isolate for seven days and anyone 70 and over to quarantine themselves in their homes for the next 12 weeks.
According to Clarence House: ”The Duchess of Cornwall has also been tested but does not have the virus. In accordance with Government and medical advice, the Prince and the Duchess are now self-isolating at home in Scotland.’’
Charles has mild symptoms but otherwise remains in good health, Clarence House said.
“The Prince of Wales has tested positive for coronavirus,” the statement said.
“He has been displaying mild symptoms but otherwise remains in good health and has been working from home throughout the last few days as usual.’’
The news that the virus, which has claimed the lives of nearly 500 Britons, mainly male with comorbidity and aged over 70, has reached deep into the Royal Family is concerting.
The Queen, who is 93 and Prince Philip, 98, have been sequestered in Windsor Castle for the past week with limited staff to help them isolate from the disease. The Queen went to Windsor a week earlier than planned and Philip was flown to the estate from Norfolk by helicopter to join his wife.
Buckingham Palace said the Queen was well.
“Her Majesty The Queen remains in good health,” the palace said.
”The Queen last saw the Prince of Wales briefly after the investiture on the morning of the 12th March and is following all the appropriate advice with regard to her welfare.”
Two days earlier, Prince Charles had attended a charity dinner with Prince Albert of Monaco, who last week tested positive for COVID-19.
After visiting the Queen Charles then attended a dinner at Mansion House that night, hosted by The Lord Mayor of the City of London and George Brandis, in aid of the Australian bushfire relief efforts.
The day before he was at his beloved Prince’s Trust awards nights at the London Palladium in central London.
Charles and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall arrived in Scotland on Sunday, where he displayed mild symptoms and was tested on Monday. His results came through on Tuesday night.
The timing suggests Charles may have caught the virus while he was at Clarence House in central London. Royal sources said the royal doctor believed Charles would have become contagious, at the earliest time, on March 13, just a day after seeing the Queen. However scientists are uncertain exactly how many days a person may be contagious before showing coronavirus symptoms.
Two days before he saw the Queen Charles was at a function with Prince Albert of Monaco, 62, who became aware on March 19 that he had contracted the virus. Charles sat opposite Albert at a WaterAid dinner on March 10. Albert, 62, then became aware he had coronavirus on March 19. He said: “A little news. Condition unchanged. Little fever, little cough. Vital signs all good. The doctors are satisfied for now.”
Prince William, who is third in line to the throne, and his wife the Duchess of Cambridge have been more visible in the past week, taking on engagements usually headed by the Queen or Charles.
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