Prince William’s diagnosis of COVID-19 – which was revealed last week after being kept secret for six months – caused his grandmother the Queen more than a few anxious moments.
William came down with the virus in April, shortly after his father Prince Charles contracted it, and Her Majesty was not only worried about their well being, but had to consider the awful worst-case scenario that both of them might have died from the potentially deadly virus.
“If the unthinkable had happened and Charles and William had passed away, the next in line after the Queen would be Prince George, who is seven years old,” says royal historian Kate Williams. “If she died, he would not rule as king in the traditional sense until he was 18, but a regency council would be appointed who would carry out duties in his name.”
A regency council would include other senior royals, but the trouble is, the next two adults in the line of succession are Prince Harry, who is no longer a working royal, and Prince Andrew, who has stepped back from public life because of his involvement in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
Thankfully, a constitutional crisis was avoided because father and son have fully recovered, and even though she’s 94, the Queen is still able to rule. But it was worrying, says a palace insider.
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