Prince Charles' Covid isolation over and fans are conflicted

Prince Charles joined Princess Anne for his first public engagement out of Covid isolation on Thursday—and let's just say, royal fans have a lot to say about his return to work.

Prince Charles has attended his first royal engagement in London since ending his Covid isolation, after contracting the virus for a second time last week.
The Prince of Wales joined his sister, Princess Anne, to present awards at The Queen's Anniversary Prizes at St. James's Palace on Thursday.
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The Prince of Wales teamed up with Princess Anne for an exciting joint appearance on Thursday, marking his first official royal engagement since ending self-isolation.

It was revealed Prince Charles had Covid for a second time last week, after first catching during the early days of the pandemic in March 2020. The future King, whose wife Duchess Camilla has also tested positive for the virus, was subsequently forced to cancel his upcoming engagements and quarantine.

Luckily for the 73-year-old, who has been double vaccinated and boosted, it looks Covid Round 2 hasn't taken too much out of him.

Charles appeared happy and healthy at The Queen's Anniversary Prizes at St. James's Palace in London yesterday, indicating he's made a full recovery and will be resuming all royal duties from this point onwards.

Wearing a pin-striped navy suit and pale blue tie, the eldest of the Queen's children awarded medals for higher and further education achievements at the lavish biennial ceremony. Princess Anne, 71, joined him in the presentations, distributing scrolls for the worthy recipients of the educational prizes.

While many royal fans expressed their delight to see the prince back to business, some weren't too happy with his notable lack of Covid safety precautions. Charles' decision to attend the event without a mask drew particular criticism, especially in light of his recent infection.

"Covid no 2 & no mask... why?" one person user commented on the Clarence House Instagram page.

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"If his 5 day quarantine is over, shouldn’t he remain masked to protect others?!? 🙄" another follower commented.

One person even admitted they wouldn't accept a handshake from the royal so soon after he contracted the virus. "I'm not being funny but I wouldn't want to shake Charles's hand after having covid. In fact, I wouldn't want to shake anyone's anymore.😮," they wrote.

Others were quick to defend the prince, however, reminding their fellow royal fans that he is perfectly entitled to forgo the mask.

The UK government confirmed last month that people with Covid could end their self-isolation after 5 full days, as long as they test negative on the fifth and sixth day. Mask wearing is also no longer legally enforced in most of England and Northern Ireland, although it is advised in certain environments.

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Hailing from the lovely city of Dublin, Emma mainly covers the Royal Family and the entertainment world, as well as the occasional health and wellness feature. Always up for a good conversation, she has a passion for interviewing everyone from A-list celebrities to the local GP - or just about anyone who will chat to her, really.

Emma holds an MA in International Journalism from City, University of London, and a BA in English Literature from Trinity College Dublin.