Prince Charles tests positive for coronavirus

Prince Charles has tested positive for the coronavirus.

The 71-year-old royal is the most prominent member of the British family to test positive for the virus and has joined the more than 400,000 people around the world who have contracted the respiratory illness since it first began spreading in China.

“The Prince of Wales has tested positive for Coronavirus. He has been displaying mild symptoms but otherwise remains in good health and has been working from home throughout the last few days as usual," a Clarence House press statement read Wednesday.

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Charles' wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, has also been tested, according to Clarence House, and results came back negative.

"In accordance with Government and medical advice, the Prince and the Duchess are now self-isolating at home in Scotland. The tests were carried out by the NHS in Aberdeenshire where they met the criteria required for testing."

On Thursday, the Clarence House Twitter account posted a tweet thanking its followers for the get-well messages Charles has received.

"He is enormously touched by your kind words," it read.

The Prince of Wales is the oldest child and heir to the throne of Queen Elizabeth II, 93, who has not shown any signs of illness, according to Buckingham Palace.

"Her Majesty The Queen remains in good health," the palace said in a statement Wednesday. "The Queen last saw The Prince of Wales briefly on the morning of March 12 and is following all the appropriate advice with regard to her welfare."

Charles, who is the father of Prince Harry and Prince William, was at a water and climate aid summit in London on March 10 with Prince Albert of Monaco, 62, who tested positive for the coronavirus just a few days later, according to London's ITV.

Public health experts have found that people over age 60 appear to be more at risk for complications from the coronavirus.

A top official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended earlier this month that people over 60 and anyone with chronic medical conditions should prepare for a lengthy stay at home.

“This seems to be a disease that affects adults and most seriously older adults," Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told reporters on a conference call.

"Starting at age 60, there is an increasing risk of disease and the risk increases with age."

The CDC recommends anyone over 60 or with underlying conditions should stock up on medications, groceries and household items so they can stay home "for a period of time."

Many grocery stores across the world have implemented elderly-only shopping hours to help keep the most at-risk people safe from the coronavirus.