The 38-year-old reportedly kept his condition under wraps to protect the welfare of the British people, but it’s now been suggested he did so to prevent panic about Prince Harry becoming king.
Speaking on the latest episode of the Royally Obsessed podcast, hosts Roberta Fiorito and Rachel Bowie discussed a theory, which they suggest could explain the covert cover-up.
“There’s a lot of controversy and people are quite angry at Prince William for keeping it a secret,” Roberta said, referring to the coronavirus cover-up claims.
“I feel like I get it, it’s definitely weird to not reveal that. But, in doing quite a bit of research, I can understand the reasoning,” she continued.
“Say the worst happened – the Queen at 94 passed away then Prince Charles passed away then Prince William passed away, all because they were hit by the virus.
“The next in line to the throne is George, and then Charlotte and Louis, and none of them are over the age of 18, which is where the Regency Act comes into play.
“That means a regent would rule in his place, and that person has to be over 21… the next in line of succession is Prince Harry, who had just left as of March 31, and moved to California and quit.
“Then after Prince Harry, the next available regent is Prince Andrew,” she added.
Roberta’s co-host Rachel then weighed in on the theory, saying: “Think of what the headlines would have been – panic is an understatement.
“People would obviously be spinning and hypothesising and speculating on what would happen, playing out all these scenarios. So I doubt it was William’s choice to keep it a secret.
“The monarchy was already kind of struggling. The news of Harry and Meghan leaving was a real ding to their reputation, and still is,” she added.
Prince William reportedly tested positive to the virus in April, just days after his father Prince Charles and UK PM Borris Johnson tested positive, but chose to keep it a secret.
Despite claims Wills chose to remain silence to protect the welfare of the British people, royal author Robert Jobson believes the prince showed “poor judgement” by not telling the truth.
Taking to Twitter, the royal commentator lashed out against Kensington Palace, questioning how people are supposed to trust the monarchy moving forward.
“Prince William’s decision to LIE about contracting COVID-19 earlier – for whatever reason – is appalling,” Robert wrote.
“KP were are asked several times by the media whether Prince William had contracted the virus and were told categorically ‘no’. This has created a serious issue of trust.”
“If the palace is prepared to LIE about an issue as serious as Prince William, second in line to the throne, contracting COVID-19 what else have they LIED about when questioned by the press and why should the media believe any denials going forward? This raises serious issues,” he added.