Prince Charles tested positive for coronavirus yesterday. This predictably brought about all sorts of outrage and accusations from the online mob, not because he’d tested positive, but because he’d had a test at all.
You see, there seems to be something pathological in the minds of the mob that makes them forget common sense and decency and want to vent whenever the monarchy is brought up. They forget the fact that Charles is within the age group that is likely to be most affected by the virus and therefore did the right thing in getting himself tested.
Instead, what they’re doing is claiming that he skipped the queue, that he put other people’s lives in danger and that as a consequence the monarchy should be abolished. Hell, it got an entire hashtag to trend on that hellsite Twitter as well.
Firstly, whether you like it or not, Prince Charles is heir to the throne and thus will always get tested should he suffer from something. Secondly, the government itself has said that the Prince did not jump ahead of any queue to get the test and has followed all government advice relating to the virus.
This is astounding. The people protesting Charles getting a test are not only showing an appalling lack of humanity, they are also showing what absolute hypocrites they are. These are the same people who usually talk about being kind and doing the right thing. But because Prince Charles did the right thing, they are now pilloring him and the family he comes from.
Prince Charles and other royals were like everyone else following government advice as it came through in regards to dealing with the virus, and as such they continued carrying out their engagements until such a time as the medical and scientific advice suggested that this was not reasonable. If the Prince caught the virus during one of these engagements then perhaps one must look at where he was and who he was meeting and whether protocols needed to be adjusted accordingly, not just for the Prince but for everyone.
Furthermore, had Prince Charles and other royals cancelled their engagements before government advice suggested they do so, you can be damned sure that those currently criticising Charles for getting a test done, would have been criticising him and his family for cancelling and jumping the gun. You can already see how with hindsight the mob is criticising Prince William for visiting NHS nurses-as part of his duties and to provide morale- as a case of distracting them from their job, whilst others would no doubt have criticised him if he had not done that.
There are accusations that the royals are not providing leadership during this crisis, but what exactly are they expected to do? Go out and visit people? That would see them break the government’s lockdown and be accused of breaking the law. Are they meant to donate money? If so, where and to who? How do they know they won’t be pilloried for doing that as well.
The monarchy is in a difficult position here. This isn’t a war, this is a virus and the virus could kill. Them staying inside and following procedure is perhaps the best they can do right now. Calling for abolishing the institution is short sighted and hypocritical. The same people calling for them to be abolished because of Prince Charles following procedure would be calling them out if he had not done so.
Perhaps it’s time these people just accepted that they don’t think rationally when the royals are involved and should keep their mouths shut.
Vivek Rajkhowa 
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