Hours after 71-year-old Prince of Wales and first in line to the British throne was tested positive for COVID-19, speculations were raised about the status of his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwell, who has tested negative for the virus.
The couple who are currently at Birkhall, their residence in Scotland, under the self-imposed quarantine, were tested for the virus after Prince Charles complained of minor symptoms. So far UK has reported 465 deaths and 9,529 confirmed cases of the coronavirus.
How Camilla tested negative for COVID-19?
Though it is still unclear how and when the prince came in contact with the virus, it has been reported that Charles and Camilla did attend a number of social gatherings in the recent days.
The statement issued by the Clarence House stated that while Prince Charles has tested positive for the COVID-19, the "Duchess of Cornwall has also been tested but does not have the virus."
Speaking to Hello Magazine, Dr Dawn Harper unveiled the mystery behind of how Duchess remained negative of the virus. "We are still learning about this virus, but the main reason we ask household contacts of symptomatic patients to self-isolate for 14 days is to make sure they are not in contact with other people whilst they could potentially be incubating the disease."
Speaking about the individual's immune system fighting the virus, Dr Harper said: "Just like the common cold, however, there is no guarantee that if one member of a household contracts the disease that all the others will and there are lots of reasons for that, not least the baseline health of each individual and the robustness of their immune system.
"Let's hope the Duchess remains asymptomatic but she will need to take precautions to increase her chances of remaining symptom free. There is also some evidence that some people can contract the virus without developing symptoms," he said adding that the Duchess of Cornwall needs to be in isolation for 14 days.
Britons question testing of Prince Charles and Camilla
Even though the official statement maintains that the couple's 'tests were carried out by the NHS in Aberdeenshire where they met the criteria required for testing,' it has raised a lot questions by the British citizens about the testing standards announced by the government.
In its website, the National Health Service clearly states that the COVID-19 tests would only be undertaken if patients 'have a serious illness that requires admission to hospital.'
According to Daily Mail, with Prince Charles showed mild symptoms and Camilla showed no symptoms at all, but both of them were tested through nasal swabs by the staff of NHS Grampian, at their residence.
In a tweet, Joan McAlpine, SNP Member of the Scottish Parliament, said: "I wish @Charles_HRH a speedy recovery. But given that his symptoms are said to be mild, like many I wonder how he was tested when many NHS and social care workers cannot get tested. My nephew, who has serious asthma and a chest infection was recently refused a test. .#coronavirus."
"How come Camilla got tested when she doesn't even have it? Why are these health tourists fleeing to their holiday home getting special treatment ahead of locals in Aberdeenshire?" tweeted another user.
Hoping that Prince Charles recovers quickly from the virus, writer James Felton tweeted: "It would be nice if the people working in the NHS coming into contact with hundreds of people could get tested as easily as a man who has an actual palace to self-isolate in."
