Princess Estelle is the latest royal to be indirectly affected by the coronavirus. A spokesperson for the Swedish Royal Court confirmed to HOLA! USA that the future Queen of Sweden’s school, Campus Manilla, in Stockholm is closed today (March 5) after a student tested positive for the coronavirus. The spokesperson added, “Subsequently Her Royal Highness is at home.”
According to the Swedish news outlet Svensk Dam , the Princess’ school sent out a message to parents on Wednesday about the situation stating that students will have an “extra study day” on Thursday, March 5. “The purpose of closing the entire school is to ensure the safety of students, guardians and staff in a situation where many are worried and where we now know that a student is confirmed to be infected with the Corona virus,” the message read.
While it was recommended to keep the school open, the administration decided to close it because they had “not been given sufficiently clear information about what applies to infection protection and infection tracking in a school environment,” adding, “Therefore, we take it safe before the uncertain and choose to stay closed one day to wait for guidance.” Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel ’s oldest child, who is second in line to the Swedish throne, began her studies at Campus Manilla in 2018.
Estelle isn’t the only royal who has been impacted by the coronavirus. King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium’s royal state visit to Italy later this month has been postponed due to the outbreak . “At the request of the President of the Italian Republic, the State Visit of Their Majesties the King and Queen is postponed to a later date. The visit was planned from 23 to 25 March 2020,” a statement from the palace read on March 4. “The current phase in the corona epidemic and the implementation of new emergency measures by the Italian authorities do not make it possible to implement the visit's program,” the statement continued. “A new date will be set by both parties as soon as possible to ensure that this visit, which confirms the excellent relations between our countries, takes place in ideal circumstances.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the coronavirus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person. CNN reported on March 2 that COVID-19 has killed more than 3,000 people and that there are more than 88,000 cases around the world.