Queen’s ‘torrid’ week as monarch will get Covid days after Andrew settlement, Charles honours row and Harry courtroom case

The Queen has examined constructive for coronavirus in a “torrid” begin to her historic Platinum Jubilee 12 months.

Barely two months into 2022, the 95-year-old monarch has fallen unwell with Covid-19 in an already turbulent week for the royals.

Buckingham Palace on Sunday introduced the top of state was experiencing “gentle cold-like signs” after coming into direct contact along with her eldest son and inheritor the Prince of Wales the week he had the illness.

The shock announcement comes simply weeks after the nation’s longest-reigning monarch reached her historic Platinum Jubilee of 70 years on the throne on 6 February.

It additionally follows a nasty week for the royals which noticed key family members battle to remain out of the headlines.

The Metropolitan Police on Thursday introduced it had launched an investigation into cash-for-honours allegations linked to the Prince of Wales’s charity.

This got here only a day after it emerged Prince Andrew had reached a multi-million-pound out of courtroom settlement with Virginia Giuffre, the Jeffrey Epstein sufferer who accused the Duke of York of sexually abusing her whereas she was underage within the US.

In the meantime, Prince Harry’s Excessive Courtroom declare in opposition to a Dwelling Workplace determination to not enable him to pay for police safety for himself and his household when visiting the UK additionally had its first listening to on Friday.

All of this comes lower than a 12 months after the Queen misplaced her husband of 73 years, the Duke of Edinburgh, who died on the age of 99 in April 2021.

Right here, we check out what royal skilled Anna Whitelock has described as a “torrid few weeks” for the Queen, and the equally tough 12 months earlier than it.

Prince Andrew intercourse case settlement

On Tuesday 15 February, it emerged the Queen’s second son Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, had agreed an out of courtroom settlement with Virginia Giuffre, the Jeffrey Epstein sufferer who accused the royal of sexually abusing her whereas she was underage within the US.

The duke is ready to pay within the area of £10-12million, in response to various stories, which is able to embrace damages to Ms Giuffre and a donation to a charity “in help of victims’ rights,” to cease the case continuing to a civil trial.

In a joint assertion confirming the settlement, the prince mentioned he regretted his affiliation with the late American financier Epstein, who he acknowledged “trafficked numerous younger ladies over a few years”.

The Duke of York, who had reportedly come underneath stress from the Queen to not take the case to courtroom, mentioned he additionally accepted that Ms Giuffre was “a longtime sufferer of abuse” who had been subjected to “unfair public assaults” and mentioned he “commends the bravery” of her and different survivors.

The prince has at all times strongly denied the allegations in opposition to him.

Prince Charles honours row

The Metropolitan Police launched an announcement on Thursday 17 February revealing the drive had launched an investigation into cash-for-honours allegations linked to Prince Charles’ charity.

The probe into The Prince’s Basis got here following stories that gives of monetary assist have been made to safe honours and citizenship for a Saudi nationwide.

Strain group Republic contacted the Metropolitan Police final September and reported each the longer term king and Michael Fawcett – Prince Charles’s former royal valet – on suspicion of breaching the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925.

Mr Fawcett, who has since resigned as chief govt of The Prince’s Basis, was accused of promising to assist safe a knighthood and British citizenship for a Saudi billionaire donor.

On the time Clarence Home mentioned the prince had “no data” of the alleged cash-for-honours scandal.

The police investigation got here simply days after Dame Cressida Dick resigned from her function as commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.

In December, Dame Cressida mentioned the drive had not opened an investigation into the allegations, however would think about additional proof if it turned obtainable.

Prince Harry’s safety courtroom listening to

Prince Harry’s Excessive Courtroom declare in opposition to a Dwelling Workplace determination to not enable him to pay for police safety for himself and his household when visiting the UK had its first listening to on Friday.

The Duke of Sussex, who didn’t attend, needs to carry his two youngsters to go to from the US, however he and his household are “unable to return to his house” as a result of it’s too harmful, his authorized consultant mentioned.

Harry’s household misplaced their taxpayer-funded police safety after quitting their positions as senior working royals within the early a part of 2020.

He’s arguing that his non-public safety workforce within the US, the place he lives with spouse Meghan Markle and their youngsters, doesn’t have enough jurisdiction overseas or entry to the UK intelligence data wanted to maintain his household protected.

Prince Harry’s tell-all memoir

Harry can be reportedly getting ready to publish an “correct and wholly truthful” memoir which might delve additional into his troubled relationship together with his father Charles and reported rift with brother Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge.

There are considered fears the tell-all e book, which reportedly might be launched in December 2022, might even title the royal he and Meghan accused of constructing racist remarks about their son.

The Sussexes’ declare was made throughout an explosive two-hour interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, which noticed the pair talk about life as senior members of the royal household, psychological well being and coping with media scrutiny.

Meghan informed the host she had felt “suicidal” whereas dwelling and dealing as a member of the royal household, and that when she tried to hunt skilled assist, she was warned that it “wouldn’t be good for the establishment”.

She additionally claimed a member of the royal family had voiced issues in regards to the color of her son, Archie’s, pores and skin earlier than he was born.

Harry, in the meantime, revealed his father was not answering his calls, and that he didn’t have a relationship together with his brother, Prince William.

Senior royals struck down by Covid

Plenty of different senior royals have been struck down by Covid through the pandemic, together with Prince Charles, his spouse Camilla and Prince William.

Charles examined constructive for the virus on Thursday 10 February – the day after he and his spouse the Duchess of Cornwall attended a reception alongside scores of different folks on the British Museum.

Charles had additionally met with the Queen simply two days earlier.

It was the second time the prince had contracted Covid, after he fell unwell with the virus initially of the pandemic in March 2020 and misplaced his sense of style and scent.

Camilla later examined constructive for the primary time on Monday 14 February.

Prince William additionally contracted the illness early on within the pandemic in April 2020 however the information was not made public on the time.

In response to report in The Solar a number of months later, the duke was hit “fairly arduous” by the virus and struggled to breathe at one level.

Prince Philip’s dying

The latest royal troubles adopted an equally difficult 2021 for the Queen.

On 17 April , the world watched because the Queen sat alone through the funeral for her husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, due to Covid-19 restrictions.

The couple have been married for73 years and he had been by her aspect from the start of her reign in 1952, making him the longest-serving consort in British historical past. He died on the age of 99 on 9 April 2021.

The Queen was supported by her lady-in-waiting Woman Susan on the day, who rode along with her Majesty en path to the funeral.

However she sat alone through the service as social distancing between households was necessary underneath authorities steering on the time.

A sombre picture of the Queen sitting alone in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Fort touched many internationally, who expressed their sorrow and sympathy for the monarch.