Following the news that Prince Charles tested positive for COVID-19, a video from earlier this month resurfaced of Prince William making a light joke of the coronavirus. Amid the ongoing pandemic, the royal said that the coronavirus spread is not being received well.
During a royal visit to the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin on March 3, Prince William was seen having a conversation with four people, who were reportedly all emergency workers and first responders.
"I bet everyone's like, 'I've got coronavirus, I'm dying' and you're like, 'No, you've just got a cough,'" he said in a joking tone. "It does seem quite dramatic about coronavirus at the moment. Is it being a little hyped up, do you think, by the media?" The first responders' reply cannot be heard in the video.
While Prince William's tone appears to be light, at the time, few cases of the virus had been confirmed in the UK and only began to significantly increase around early March. Prince William's comments came the same day that his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, was seen wearing gloves during an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace which was believed to be a precaution against the coronavirus.
The queen later moved to Windsor Castle after a royal aide tested positive for the virus, which had claimed thousands of lives worldwide.
Prince William and Kate Middleton have visited NHS staff to express their gratitude on behalf of the royal family for their work treating patients with the coronavirus.
Meanwhile, the queen remains in good health after her son tested positive for COVID-19.
"Her Majesty The Queen remains in good health. The Queen last saw the Prince of Wales briefly after the investiture on the morning of the 12th of March and is following all the appropriate advice with regard to her welfare," a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said in a statement.
