Prince Albert of Monaco has broken his silence after it was revealed on Thursday that he has COVID-19. The royal was tested earlier this week and after receiving his positive results, he thanked his supporters for their well wishes. Releasing a statement on Friday, Monaco's royal palace said: "His Serene Highness Prince Albert has been moved by all the good wishes he has received from all around the world. HSH wants to thank all the people that have sent him their support. The Sovereign Prince remains confined in his apartments inside the Palace. He is still working with his close collaborators in accordance with the health measures. His health, controlled several times during the day by his doctors, doesn't inspire any concern." Prince Albert added: "Patience, trust, courage, solidarity."
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The prince also spoke of his symptoms shortly after news was announced of his illness. "My symptoms are flu-like, but it feels like a pretty mild case," he told People. "I’ve a slight fever, not really that bad. A little bit of a cough. I’d a runny nose the first few days that was the first sign. I’ve felt a little stuffed up but that’s it. I have be careful because of my recent medical history fighting off pneumonia a couple of years ago."
Asked how he believes he may have contracted it, he added: "Ask one of my cabinet members. It could have been from a number of other people. For weeks now I’ve tried to be cautious, using hand sanitisers and all that, but you never know. I could’ve caught it talking to someone from less than three or even four feet away. And it could have happened at any point in the last ten days or so. You never know."
© Photo: Getty ImagesPrince Albert II has tested positive for COVID-19
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The prince isn't the only royal to have tested positive for coronavirus in recent weeks. Karl von Habsburg, the Archduke of Austria, has been diagnosed with COVID-19 and is now being quarantined. The 59-year-old, who is the head of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, confirmed the news in a phone call on the Austrian TV channel oe24. "It's annoying, but I'm fine. It's not the black plague," he said. "I thought it was the usual flu. When a friend called me that he had a positive test at a congress in Switzerland, I was also tested." The Archduke went on to praise the Austrian authorities for acting "with measure and goal". He added, "Panic is not brought in."
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It comes after Spain's King Felipe and Queen Letizia revealed that they had also been tested for coronavirus. The royal couple decided to go ahead as a precaution after Letizia came in contact with a government official who subsequently tested positive for the coronavirus. Last week, the Spanish royal house released a statement confirming that the king and queen had been given the all-clear.
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