Prince William stalled for about six months before he publicly disclosed that he had COVID-19 in April 2020, and the move may have helped avoid an "absolute crisis" if the Duke of Cambridge made his illness known earlier.
Royal experts Ann Gripper and Russell Myers discussed Prince William's COVID-19 diagnosis in a new podcast episode of Pod Save the Queen. Myers said that he completely understood why William had to hide his illness despite criticisms from other royal observers.
Medical experts were still learning about the virus when the Duke of Cambridge contracted COVID-19 right after his father, Prince Charles. Myers said that he knew how serious the virus was when the Prince of Wales, a fit man in his 70s, announced that he was positive.
The royal expert reminded the podcast listeners that the early months of the pandemic was a "mad time" as bodies piled in hospitals across the globe since doctors were still grappling for treatments. Myers also said that "everyone worried" as the world descended into a lockdown.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson also contracted the virus around March and had to be brought to intensive care. If William announced that he was positive, it would raise the red flag and send off complete panic stations across the country.
However, the royal family knew of William's condition even as it was never divulged to the press. A source told Vanity Fair that the Duke of Cambridge specifically asked that his condition doesn't get out as he did not want to needlessly worry the public.
William still worked while he was down with COVID-19 because he was not bedridden. Both he and Prince Charles experienced minor symptoms only and didn't infect their family members.
Myers wasn't the only royal observer to agree with William's decision to keep his COVID-19 diagnosis a secret. According to royal biographer Sean Smith, the Duke of Cambridge made a "tactical" decision that actually worked well for him since William had downplayed the virus before the World Health Organization declared the pandemic.
Smith recalled what William said during one royal engagement in March. The duke apparently thought that everyone seems to be dramatic about the virus or that the media has been hyping the public health crisis. The royal author also said that the Duke of Cambridge would have looked foolish in public if he announced his condition after making a joke about the coronavirus.
But telling the world six months after his disease actually worked because William has been doing fine since his illness. Essentially, what mattered to the public was that the second in line to the throne is in good health after going through a potentially deadly disease.
