Two years since becoming the first monarch to contract Covid, Prince Albert has succumbed to the virus again.
The news broke via a Prince’s royal residence statement saying: “The Prince’s Palace announces that H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco has tested positive for COVID-19.”
“He continues to work remotely and remains in permanent contact with the members of his cabinet, his government, and his close collaborators.”
“This period of isolation will be adapted to the health measures in force,” the Monégasque palace concluded.
Although the 64-year-old Prince is asymptomatic and has no concern for his health, the diagnosis comes at the wrong time for the Prince’s family, whose wife Princess Charlene only returned from a four-month health retreat in Switzerland in March after suffering from physical and emotional exhaustion.
On Princess Charlene’s return, the palace issued another statement warning that: “In order for Princess Charlene to achieve a full recovery and as she still needs peace and calm, The Princely Couple, therefore, asks that their private life and family environment continue to be respected.”
So far, there is no indication that Charlene or the couple’s twins, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, have been exposed to the virus.
After his initial contraction of coronavirus in March 2020, the Prince completed a 14-day self-isolation and reported mild symptoms of long-covid.
Princess Charlene has yet to make a public appearance since her return to Monaco in March and has not attended a royal function since January 2021. Before checking in to the Swiss clinic, she had spent six months convalescing in South Africa last year.
