Prince William and Kate accused of breaking coronavirus rules again

LONDON » When it comes to England’s latest coronavirus restrictions, it appears that even senior members of Britain’s royal family can become confused over the ever-changing rules imposed by the government as the coronavirus crisis rages on.

“Royals’ Xmas Blunderland” read the front page of the Daily Mail on Tuesday, as the newspaper accused Prince William and Kate, more formally known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, of flouting the government’s imposed “rule of six” by walking as part of a group of nine people at a festivethemed woodland trail over the weekend.

The Prince, who is second in line to the British throne, was photographed walking with his wife and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, at the Queen’s Sandringham estate in Norfolk. The family were also joined by Prince Edward, his wife, Sophie, and their two children.

Norfolk, a county on the east coast of England, is under Tier 2 rules, meaning that only groups of up to six can meet outdoors if they are not from the same household, under the highalert regulations in place to slow the spread of the virus.

“This limit of 6 includes children of any age,” reads guidance on the official government website.

Sandringham sources defended the two families, telling British tabloids that the households arrived and left the Christmas walk separately, although they admitted that social distancing between the relatives was difficult at times.

“As anyone with young children will know, there were moments on the 90-minute walk where it was difficult to keep the two family groups apart, particularly at bottlenecks on the trail,” they said, according to the Mail.