Prince Charles stepped out on Thursday for his first in-person engagement since contracting COVID-19 for a second time. The Prince of Wales, 73, teamed up with his sister Princess Anne, 71, to present the Queen’s Anniversary Prizes at a ceremony held at St James’s Palace.
© KIRSTY O'CONNOR/POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesCharles presented medals, while the Princess Royal distributed scrolls during the ceremony. The Queen’s Anniversary Prizes, which are granted by the Queen every two years, “recognise outstanding work by UK colleges and universities that shows quality and innovation and delivers real benefit to the wider world and public through education and training.”
The Prince of Wales’ public appearance came one week after he tested positive for COVID-19. Clarence House tweeted on Feb. 10 that the future King was self-isolating. Days later, the Prince’s wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, tested positive.
Charles first contracted the virus in March 2020. “I was lucky in my case and got away with it quite lightly,” he later told Sky News of his COVID-19 experience.
“But I’ve had it, and I can so understand what other people have gone through. And I feel particularly for those for instance, who have lost their loved ones and have been unable to be with them at the time. That to me is the most ghastly thing,” the Prince added. “But in order to prevent this happening to so many more people, this is why I’m so determined to find a way out of this.”
