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Prince William's decision to hide virus battle sparks outrage
Royal commentators have questioned Prince William’s decision to keep his battle with coronavirus a secret, with one expert even accusing the palace of lying.
The Duke of Cambridge revealed this week he had secretly had COVID-19 back in April, but didn’t want to alarm the nation with the news.
Royal commentator Robert Jobson took to Twitter to slam the decision as “poor judgement”, saying it had now created “a problem of trust going forward”.
“The fact is the palace lied about it. KP were are asked several times by several media outlets whether Prince William had contracted the virus and were told categorically ‘no’,” he wrote.
“If the palace is prepared to LIE about an issue as serious as Prince William, second in line to the throne, contracting COVID-19 what else have they LIED about when questioned by the press and why should the media believe any denials going forward? This raises serious issues.”
Richard Palmer, royal reporter for the Daily Express, also took to social media to say the UK expected “honesty from public figures”.
“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 said on Twitter.
“The UK expects honesty from public figures, particularly during a pandemic. This may be a cover-up that will haunt William and those advising him.”
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Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine, thought the decision was 'a retrograde step' in terms of transparency.
“I think with the benefit of hindsight, it would have been sensible once he was fully recovered to say: ‘Well look, I've had it, but I'm okay now’,” he said, reports the Daily Mail.
“Is it the biggest of deals? I'm not sure it necessarily is but it kind of makes you wonder what else is being suppressed? It's all about transparency these days and this is a retrograde step, I suppose.”
The 38-year-old prince was reportedly left ‘struggling to breathe’ just days after his father, Prince Charles, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson revealed they had contracted COVID-19.
"William was hit pretty hard by the virus - it really knocked him for six,” a source told The Sun.
“There were important things going on and he didn’t want to worry anyone.”
He was treated by doctors at his Anmer Hall home in Norfolk and isolated from his family, but was eager to continue his Zoom royal engagements once recovered.
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