Prince William was secretly sick with COVID-19

Think back to earlier this spring, when people were shook that celebrities and world leaders like Tom Hanks, Idris Elba, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Prince Charles had contracted COVID-19. Now how much more scared do you think everyone would have been had they known that Prince William had coronavirus too?The answer to that question might explain why the Crown concealed the fact that the Duke of Cambridge did indeed contracted the disease in April, shortly after his father had tested positive. According to The Sun, the 38-year-old was “hit pretty hard by the virus,” and it “really knocked him” for a while. “At one stage he was struggling to breathe, so obviously everyone around him was pretty panicked,” a source said of the royal heir.“After seeing medics and testing positive—which was obviously quite a shock given how fit and healthy he is—William was determined it should be business as usual though… he was determined to fulfil his engagements,” the source continued. According to the publication, some of those engagements included opening Birmingham’s Nightingale Hospital virtually from isolation, attending a comic relief sketch from his computer, and doing a Blackadder skit alongside Stephen Fry.The paper quotes sources as saying that William just didn’t want to add to people’s worries, especially after his grandmother’s We Will Meet Again speech. And so he kept the news to himself and only confided in those who needed to know. “But as a result of his own experiences, he realizes absolutely anyone can catch this awful disease—and knows how imperative it is that we all take this second lockdown seriously,” the source said.Doctors tended to William at his country home, Anmer Hall, where he quarantined earlier this year. Kate and the couple’s three children, George, 7, Charlotte, 5, and Louis, 2, did not contract the disease. Notably, William did at least take a week and a half off, from April 9 to 16. As The Sun notes, no royal engagements took place during that time, as the second-in-line to the throne recovered. Since then he’s continued to be one of the hardest-working royals in the U.K., visiting Oxford to see how the COVID vaccination is coming along, video-calling people who work at his charities, and even launching a Nobel-like prize for the environment.At time of press, neither William nor his office at Kensington Palace have commented on the Sun story. But knowing that he was sick when he praised healthcare workers during that Nightingale event on April 3 gives his words even more context. “I know that the Nightingale Birmingham will provide invaluable resources for hospitals from miles and miles around,” he said at the time. “This will reassure people across the Midlands that if their local hospitals reach capacity, there will be extra beds available for their loved ones here. I find that very comforting and I know many other people will too.”Prince Charles, the next-in-line to the throne, revealed in late March that he had contracted coronavirus. At the time, he and his wife Camilla, who did not test positive for the disease, were self-isolating in Scotland. Charles exited isolation seven days later, as per the recommendation of the U.K. government.“Clarence House has confirmed today that, having consulted with his doctor, The Prince of Wales is now out of self-isolation,” Clarence House said in a statement on March 30. “Thank you for all your ‘Get Well Soon’ messages for His Royal Highness. He is enormously touched by your kind words.”[video_embed id='2067741']Before you go: Obama praises Canada's COVID-19 response[/video_embed]