Virus gets kings & commoners

Finally, Charles gets coronated,” was the most humorous message to come out in the social media on the plight of Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne. He is not the first royal or celebrity to become a victim of the runaway coronavirus holding the world at ransom. But, in this hour of personal crisis for the heir apparent, should we begrudge him a medical test as the people of the UK and its media sought to in raising the question whether he was tested out of turn?

As a man inured to awaiting his turn - after all, he has done so nearly since his birth 71 years ago as his mother Queen Elizabeth II has ruled on from 1952 - one more tragic turn may, hopefully, not be life threatening. He is, in a sense, the definition of a tragic royal as he messed up his marriage with one of the most beautiful women on earth but who must at least feel relieved now that his wife Camilla has not tested positive. But then social distancing and separate bedrooms are something of a tradition in the House of Windsor as The Crown portrayed to viewers. The Covid-19 organism has respected not the celebrity quotient of personalities. It has struck kings and commoners alike, perhaps triggering a bit of schadenfreude as members of the royalty, including the Prince of Monaco, Prime Minister’s wives and even a clergyman resident of the Vatican close to the Pope’s HQ, have come face to face with the invasive pathogen. Can we blame the brave warriors of the #MeToo movement if they felt even a fleeting moment of delight at Harvey Weinstein, that monster of a man, testing positive too? In sharp contrast to the humbling experience of so many at the hands of the virus came our Bollywood celebrity singer Kanika Kapoor, who didn’t mind being a possible super spreader as she waltzed around partying and then threw tantrums while brave doctors and paramedics were treating her. Like the novelty in the virus, there is something unique about Indian celebrity behaviour.