Duchess of Cornwall becomes second senior royal to joke about coronavirus
Written by News on 05/03/2020
The Duchess of Cornwall joked about going into self-isolation because of coronavirus during a visit to the London Transport Museum – hours after Prince William was filmed making an awkward joke about “spreading” the virus.
Camilla stepped briefly into an old air raid shelter which was on display and quipped, in an apparent reference to coronavirus, “I’m self-isolating”.
She and the Prince of Wales were on a visit to the museum to help mark 20 years of Transport for London.
The duchess wore gloves during the engagement but Charles did not, and the couple shook hands with some of those they met.
Camilla’s comments came on the same day Prince William joked about coronavirus during a reception at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin.
“By the way, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are spreading coronavirus, sorry,” he said.
“We’re keeping an eye on that, so do tell us if we need to stop.”
William and his wife Kate are on a three-day visit to Ireland.
William spoke about the infection as he chatted to emergency workers at a reception hosted by Britain’s ambassador to Ireland, Robin Barnett, in Dublin.
He asked Joe Mooney, an advance paramedic with the National Ambulance Service: “I bet everyone’s like ‘I’ve got coronavirus, I’m dying,’ and you’re like ‘No, you’ve just got a cough.’
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“Does it seem quite dramatic about coronavirus at the moment? Is it being a little bit hyped up, do you think, in the media?”
It is unclear how the paramedic responded.
Both incidents happened a day after the Queen wore large white gloves at a Buckingham Palace investiture for what was believed to be the first time.
The UK has seen its biggest daily increase in coronavirus cases, with 87 people now confirmed to have the virus.
The prime minister announced on Wednesday new sick pay changes so that anyone self-isolating due to coronavirus is paid from day one rather than day four as current rules state.
England’s chief medical officer today told Sky News that a serious coronavirus outbreak in Britain is “almost certain” with “some deaths” expected.
(c) Sky News 2020: Duchess of Cornwall becomes second senior royal to joke about coronavirus
