Monaco's Prince Albert Opens Up About COVID-19 Diagnosis: "We’re Going to Get Through This"
Yesterday, Monaco's palace revealed that reigning monarch Prince Albert had tested positive for COVID-19. Now, in an interview with People, Albert gave an update on his health and explained why everyone needs to take the threat of the novel coronavirus seriously.
Albert, who has been self-quarantining since Sunday, told the magazine that he was "feeling okay," and luckily only had a mild case thus far. "My symptoms are flu-like, but it feels like a pretty mild case," he said. "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."
That said, he noted that he had come down with pneumonia a few years ago, and therefore had to be careful. When asked if he was concerned, as a 62-year-old, about being in a high-risk group, Albert said, "That’s a consideration, but you know there’s a lot of cases of people younger than 60 contracting it. It can hit anybody of any age."
He learned of his diagnosis on Thursday, after a lab reported the results on a sample taken on Monday. Albert chose to be tested anonymously, because "I didn’t want them to treat me any differently than anyone else. There are cases more severe than mine which needed to be tested, so I didn’t want them putting me on top of the pile."
Albert isn't sure how he caught the virus, and noted that he's been taking recommended precautions—"using hand sanitizers and all that"—but it could've been any number of people he spoke to, or was nearby.
The monarch wants the public to know that COVID-19 isn't something to take lightly. "Follow instructions. Don’t mess around with this," he said, later adding, "Look, we’re going to get through this. It’s going to take awhile. But everyone has to follow the recommendations."
Royal watchers have raised alarms about Albert's recent encounter with Prince Charles, who he saw at an event for Charles's charity WaterAid on March 10. As of yet, no reporting has suggested that the Prince of Wales is experiencing any symptoms.
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