The Duke of Cambridge offered his candid reaction to the news of his father getting the virus.
Prince William is getting candid about how he responded to the news that his 71-year-old father, Prince Charles, had been diagnosed with COVID-19 last month. In a new interview with his wife, Kate Middleton, for the BBC, William shared his reaction.
"I have to admit, at first I was quite concerned," the father of three noted. "He fits the profile of somebody at the age he's at, which is very risky and so I was a little bit worried."
William noted that despite his initial concerns, he ultimately knew that his father would make it through unscathed.
"But my father has had many chest infections, colds, things like that over the years and so I thought to myself, 'If anybody's going to beat this, it's going to be him,'" William said. "And actually, he was very lucky. He had mild symptoms. I think the hardest thing he found was having to stop [working] and not being able to go get a bit of fresh air and go for a walk. He's a mad walker. Loves his walking, so I think he found it quite difficult especially also I think with his mental health being stuck inside."
Charles was diagnosed with COVID-19 last month, but after only experiencing "mild symptoms" and being self-isolated for the government recommended period of time, he has since gone back to working from his Scottish residence. His wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, also self-isolated as a safety precaution, though she never contracted the coronavirus. The pair reunited earlier this month ahead of their 15th wedding anniversary.
William added that he also has concerns about his almost 94-year-old grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, and his 98-year-old grandfather, Prince Philip.
"Obviously, I think very carefully about my grandparents who are at the age they're at. We're doing everything we can to make sure that they're isolated away and protected from this," William explained. "But it does worry me, you know, what's going to happen to a lot of the vulnerable people and the high risk people who are going to potentially have to isolate away for quite some time and the impact that's going to have on them."
The royals are managing to keep in touch despite quarantining separately in their various residences.
"We've been talking to all the family online, and it's been a really good way of keeping in touch and seeing each other," William said of video chatting. "But as you can imagine the younger generation are more tech savvy, but only just. I think we're getting there now. I think the family are getting a little more used to being able to contact each other and press the right buttons and not dropping the computer halfway through."
"I think your father and my parents have really loved keeping in touch with the children because it is really hard," Kate added of the couple's three kids. "It gets a bit hectic, I'm not going to lie, with a 2-year-old [son]."
William and Kate are parents to George, 6, Charlotte, 4, and Louis, who turns two next week.
"For some reason, he sees the red button and always wants to press the red button," William quipped of his youngest son.
William didn't specify whether or not his younger brother, Prince Harry, has participated in the family video chats. Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped down as senior royals last month, quarantining together with their 11-month-old son, Archie in Los Angeles.
A source recently told ET that Harry is feeling "very far from home and homesick at the moment." Watch the clip below for more:
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