Charles: I’ll only wear a face mask if I have to
PRINCE Charles will wear a mask only when Government advice dictates that he should do so, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
In a boost to the Government’s Freedom Day south of the Border, the Prince is not expected to cover his face when he visits Exeter Cathedral tomorrow. Charles is patron of a fundraising appeal at the cathedral and, for the first time in months, his trip has been made public in advance.
During the pandemic, visits have been kept secret to prevent crowds congregating around the royal.
A Palace source said: ‘This will be the first time in 18 months that we are seeing a return to normality. We’ll be looking forwards, not backwards.
‘This is the first time the Prince has been to a location inside and won’t be wearing a mask because it’s a large area where people will be social distancing and it will be the first day of the new rules.
‘When the rules state that a mask should be worn, then the Prince will wear one but not otherwise.’
The Duchess of Cornwall – who yesterday celebrated her 74th birthday – is known to dislike wearing a mask.
During a visit to the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff earlier this month, she told a student: ‘I can’t wait to get rid of this.’
Meanwhile, Uber will ask customers to wear masks even after the legal requirement to do so is lifted.
The taxi app firm yesterday said: ‘The majority of our riders and drivers have told us that they would feel more comfortable riding with our No Mask, No Ride policy still in place.’