Prince William’s Secret COVID-19 Diagnosis Proves That Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Might Have Been Right About 1 Thing All Along
In early November, royal followers were shocked when it was revealed that Prince William had contracted the coronavirus (COVID-19) back in April. While William and the royal family seem to be doing okay now six months later, some onlookers are pointing out that the secrecy surrounding William’s diagnosis might be proving something right on Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex’s end.
Prince William contracted COVID-19 in April and did not tell the public
As reported by The Sun, William was diagnosed with COVID-19 days after his father, Prince Charles, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson contracted the virus as well. Unlike the latter two, however, William went through his illness without public attention.
William shared his reasoning for keeping his diagnosis a secret at an engagement. The second-in-line said, “There were important things going on and I didn’t want to worry anyone.”
Some people also speculate that William chose to keep his diagnosis a secret to not make people concerned about the state of the monarchy. After all, having the two heirs of the throne contract COVID-19 could raise many questions about the line of succession should both Charles and William not survive their illness.
People have criticized Prince William for his secrecy
Nevertheless, not everyone was happy to find out William had hid his COVID-19 diagnosis from the rest of the world. Some critics believe the prince should have revealed what he was going through in order to grow trust with his country’s citizens.
“If the future King contracts a potentially fatal virus that the entire world is worried about during a lockdown and he and those around him cover it up, that raises serious questions about whether we can trust anything he or his advisers say,” Richard Palmer, a royal correspondent for the Daily Express, tweeted.
He also added, “If Boris Johnson, Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron, Angela Merkel, Donald Trump, or Joe Biden had covered up a positive test for Covid-19, many people would not be praising them for ‘not wanting to worry people.’”
Patricia Treble, a royal contributor for Canada’s Maclean’s Magazine, agreed with Palmer. Treble wrote in a response tweet, “Cover ups are always more damaging than the original act. That a serious illness of the 2nd in line to the throne is kept secret until a journalist breaks the story six months later feels like questionable judgment and advice.”
What could Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been right about?
The news of William’s COVID-19 diagnosis also reminded some folks of what Harry and Meghan thought about the royal family.
According to the book Finding Freedom by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, Harry and Meghan found it difficult to trust people working in the palace, and this might have led them to step down from being senior royals in early 2020.
“There were just a handful of people working at the Palace they could trust,” the authors said, per the Daily Express. “A friend of the couple referred to the old guard as the ‘vipers’. Meanwhile a frustrated Palace staffer described the Sussexes’ team as the ‘squeaky third wheel’ of the Palace.”
Of course, it’s important to note that the Sussexes have denied any involvement in the book. Harry and Meghan have also not revealed whether they knew about William’s COVID-19 diagnosis back in April or not.
