Camilla tests positive for Covid. What does this mean for the King's visit to Milton Keynes?
City officials are keeping their fingers crossed that King Charles doesn’t catch it before Thursday
Queen Consort Camilla will definitely not be accompanying the King to visit MK on Thursday as she has today tested positive for Covid.
NHS guidelines mean she should try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for five days.
King Charles and Camilla were due to come to a large reception at The Church of Christ the Cornerstone on Thursday afternoon to mark our new status as a city.
Members of the local community, including faith leaders, volunteers and charity representatives were due to meet the royal couple. Representatives from Starship Technologies were due to introduce them to our famous robots and explain how they work.
Earlier today (Monday) Buckingham Palace announced the Queen Consort had cancelled her engagements for tomorrow because she was unwell. They said she was suffering from a “seasonal illness”.
But this afternoon the palace announced Camilla had tested positive for Covid.
Under current guidelines, King Charles could still carry out his normal duties providing he tests negative. However, if he catches the virus from Camilla and tests positive over the next three days, then Thursday’s visit will definitely be off.
A source for MK Council said tonight they have “heard nothing” from the palace to say the King’s visit could be cancelled or postponed.
According to the NHS, people can pass the Covid-19 virus on to others for up to 10 days after their infection begins, though most people cease being infectious after five days.
The guidelines state: “You should: try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for 5 days… You should avoid meeting people at higher risk from Covid-19 for 10 days, especially if their immune system means they’re at higher risk of serious illness from Covid-19, even if they’ve had a Covid-19 vaccine.
“This starts from the day after you did the test.”
The organisations due to be represented at the royal reception on Thursday include MKIAC (Milton Keynes Islamic Arts, Heritage and Culture), Milton Keynes Theatre, Bletchley Park, the Open University, the local Council of Faiths, and Ride High, which aims to improve the lives of disadvantaged children through opportunities to ride and look after horses locally.