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Sophie, Countess of Wessex was today self-isolating at home after coming into contact earlier this week with someone who has now tested positive for coronavirus.
The 55-year-old wife of Prince Edward is not experiencing any symptoms of Covid-19 but is said to be following all relevant Government guidelines.
Sophie is not thought to have seen any members of the wider Royal Family since she met the unnamed person who has subsequently tested positive.
She will stay home at Bagshot Park, which has been the couple’s sprawling country home in Surrey since they married in 1999.
It comes after Prince Charles caught coronavirus in March but later recovered from a mild form of the illness following self-isolation at his Scottish residence of Birkhall.
The Earl and Countess of Wessex are pictured feeding goats during a visit to Vauxhall City Farm in London on October 1
Sophie, Countess of Wessex runs for 1½ miles along the Long Walk in Windsor on Sunday
Sophie visited the National Space Centre in Leicester on October 7, meeting with astronaut Helen Sharman
She will stay home at Bagshot Park (pictured), which has been the couple’s sprawling country home in Surrey since they married in 1999
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: ‘Earlier this week the Countess of Wessex came into contact with someone who has subsequently tested positive for Covid-19.
‘She is not experiencing any symptoms, but is following all relevant government guidelines and is self-isolating at home.’
When asked if she had been in contact with the Queen or any other members of the Royal Family, a source added: ‘She certainly hasn’t seen any of them this week. The last time would have been before she saw the person who has subsequently tested positive.’
Over the past week Sophie has carried out royal engagements across the country, starting in Vauxhall City Farm, London, and most recently at the National Space Centre in Leicester.
Last Thursday she was at the farm in the capital with her husband as they celebrated the start of Black History Month with staff.
The Earl and Countess met some of the schoolchildren participating in a programme of educational activities and heard from teachers and students who shared stories and poems about important figures in black history.
Sophie and Prince Edward pay a visit to Vauxhall City Farm in London last week on October 1
Sophie (left) joined Tomas Cardillo-Zallo, a member of Mencap’s learning disability running team and his mother Sue (right), acting as his guide runner, for a run in Windsor on October 4
On October 5 the Royal went to Stepping Stones school in Hindhead, Surrey, to mark World Teachers’ Day
But on October 7 she travelled up to the National Space Centre in Leicester to to mark World Space Week
On Sunday, Sophie was one of 45,000 people across Britain who were running, jogging and walking their own version of the London Marathon in torrential rain.
She gamely donned her exercise gear to join Tomas Cardillo-Zallo, a member of Mencap’s Learning Disability Running team, for the first 1½ miles of his virtual race.
Sophie has been patron of the charity since 2004 and said she decided to join the 29-year-old, from Sutton in Surrey, as a show of support for Mencap and its work to change attitudes towards those with learning disabilities.
She ran the distance to reflect the fact that 1.5million people in the UK live with a learning disability – facing daily challenges and requiring help with everyday tasks.
Sophie joined Mr Cardillo-Zallo – one of 312 people running in support of Mencap – on the Long Walk in Windsor Great Park, for the first section of his 26-mile route.
She said on Sunday: ‘It was an honour to join Tomas even just for a small part of his triumph today, as he completes the London Marathon in support of Mencap.
‘Tomas has shown what people with a learning disability can achieve with the right support. He is an inspiration.’
The following day the Royal went to Stepping Stones school in Hindhead, Surrey, to mark World Teachers’ Day.
She was welcomed by Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Surrey, Michael More-Molyneux.
But on October 7 she travelled up to the National Space Centre in Leicester to to mark World Space Week,
She was joined by astronaut Helen Sharman – the first Briton to go into space – at the Centre, which had recently re-opened with social distancing measures in place.
The Countess met a small number of students participating in the National Space Academy’s Space Engineering Course.
They told her about the key role the Centre plays in space education in the United Kingdom.
In March Prince Charles had a ‘mild’ form of coronavirus which first saw him feel unwell in the middle of the month before flying to Birkhall in Aberdeenshire.
In March Prince Charles (pictured with Camilla on March 9) had a ‘mild’ form of coronavirus which first saw him feel unwell in the middle of the month before flying to Birkhall
The heir-to-the-throne had begun to feel ill on March 21 at his Highgrove estate in Gloucestershire before travelling up to Scotland the following day.
His wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall tested negative for the infection and had no symptoms, but still stayed in self-isolation.
Charles was following government advice to self-isolate for seven days after he first had the symptoms.
However, those who live with someone with symptoms must self-isolate for 14 days, because it can take this long for the symptoms to appear.
The couple were staying at Birkhall, their Scottish retreat on the Balmoral estate, and Charles was tested by the NHS for the disease.
His self-isolation lasted seven days, based on government and medical guidelines, and he returned to holding meetings and taking exercise.
Meanwhile the Queen has been kept away from people since the outbreak to prevent the 94-year-old monarch from catching the virus.
Her Royal Highness moved from Buckingham Palace to Windsor Castle on March 19 where she began isolating.
Her husband Prince Philip, 98, was flown down to join her from Sandringham shortly after.
Addressing the nation on April 5 in a pre-recorded message, the monarch promised that ‘we will meet again.’
However, like many people across the nation, she has been keeping in touch with her loved ones via video calls.
The Queen has been passing the time by keeping up to date with the latest news at her desk, reading newspapers, catching up with family over video messenger and is an avid viewer of television news, according to someone placed close to her inner circle.
Another pastime is her budgerigars, which has grown from two free-flying Liberty budgies – gifted to her in the 1930s – to a flight of more than a hundred birds.
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