Prince William and Kate Middleton gave a rare interview where they opened up about Prince Charles' coronavirus experience and how they're protecting the Queen

• Prince William and Kate Middleton opened up about how the royal family are coping during lockdown in a rare interview with BBC News.
• Speaking via video link, the Duke of Cambridge said they are doing "everything we can" to make sure the Queen and Prince Philip are protected during the coronavirus pandemic.
• He also spoke about what it was like to hear that his father, Prince Charles, had been diagnosed with COVID-29 in March.
• "I was a little bit worried, but my father has had many chest infections, colds, things like that over the years. So I thought to myself, if anybody is going to beat this, it's going to be him," he said.
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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have said they are doing "everything we can" to make sure the Queen and Prince Philip are safe during the coronavirus pandemic.

Prince William and Kate Middleton spoke to BBC News via video link from their country home in Norfolk, England, about how their family has been impacted by the pandemic.

Asked how he felt when his father Prince Charles was diagnosed with COVID-19 last month, William said: "I have to admit, at first I was quite concerned.

"He fits the profile of someone at the age he's at, which is fairly risky. So I was a little bit worried, but my father has had many chest infections, colds, things like that over the years. So I thought to myself, if anybody is going to beat this, it's going to be him," he said.

"And actually, he was very lucky. He had mild symptoms.

"I think the hardest thing he found was having to stop, and not be able to go and get fresh air and go for a walk. He's a mad walker, he loves walking. He found it quite difficult with his mental health not being able to go outside on walks," William added.

The Prince of Wales recovered from COVID-19 after spending just seven days in self-isolation at his Scottish holiday home near Balmoral Castle last month. According to Clarence House representatives, he continued to work from home while experiencing mild symptoms.

William opened up about wanting to 'protect' his grandparents during the pandemic

"Obviously I think very carefully about my grandparents, who are at the age they're at," William added. "And we're doing everything we can to make sure that they're isolated away and protected from this."

The Queen, who will turn 94 this month, is currently self-isolating at Windsor Castle — the world's largest occupied castle — with her husband Prince Philip.

There were concerns about Her Majesty's health after Buckingham Palace confirmed that a member of staff had contracted the virus before she left London for Windsor last month.

Although the Queen continues to carry out official duties from the royal residence, 98-year-old Philip retired from public life in 2017. The prince spent four days being treated for a pre-existing health condition at a London hospital over the Christmas period.

"But it does worry me, what's going to happen to a lot of the vulnerable and high-risk people who are going to potentially have to isolate for quite some time. And the impact that's going to have on them and families up and down the country having to deal with that," William added.

The couple gave insight into their lockdown routine with Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis

William and Middleton shared what their daily routine had been like while self-isolating with their children, Prince George (6), Princess Charlotte (4), and Prince Louis, who will turn 2 next week.

"It's been ups and downs, like lots of families self-isolating. George is much older than Louis is... but they are aware. You don't want to scare them, and make it too overwhelming. But I think it's appropriate to acknowledge it in simple ways and in age-appropriate ways," Middleton said.

She said they continued to home-school George and Charlotte over the Easter holidays, even though schools across the UK would have usually been closed during this period.

"Don't tell the children but we've actually kept it going through the holidays," she said. "I feel very mean. The children have so much stamina, I don't know how honestly."

They added that the family has been keeping busy with activities which include pitching a tent, cooking, baking, and video chatting with other members of the royal family.

"We've been talking to all the family online. It's been a really good way of keeping in touch and seeing each other," William said.

"As you can imagine, the younger generation are a little bit more tech-savvy, but only just. I think we're getting there now, the family are getting a little more used to being able to contact each other and press the right buttons and not dropping the computer half-way through."

The duchess added: "I think your father, and my parents and our families and things like that have really loved keeping in touch with the children, because they know it's really hard."

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have continued to work from home during the UK's lockdown period, and this includes their work on mental wellbeing.

The couple have narrated a short TV commercial for "Every mind matters," an online platform developed by the NHS to help the public with their mental health.

Now, more than ever, Every Mind Matters. All over the country, people are staying at home to protect the NHS and save lives. Therefore it is important for us to take care of our mind as well as our body while staying at home. Swipe to see simple tips and advice provided to us, to start taking better care of our mental wellbeing. Let us know which tip you've taken up during these challenging times. Visit link in bio to understand more and get your ‘Mind Plan’ today. #Everymindmatters #StayHomeSaveLives

A post shared by Kensington Palace (@kensingtonroyal) on Apr 16, 2020 at 11:59pm PDTApr 16, 2020 at 11:59pm PDT

"A lot of people won't have necessarily thought about their mental health maybe ever before, and suddenly this environment we're in catches up to them quite quick," William told the BBC.

"I think the most important thing is talking, it's always underestimated how much talking can do."

"There's been a lot of focus on physical wellbeing," Middleton added. "Whilst that is hugely important, we mustn't forget our mental wellbeing as well."

Read more:

You can take a free virtual tour of Windsor Castle, the largest occupied castle in the world where the Queen is self-isolating

I tried the Queen's lockdown routine every morning for a week, and I wouldn't do it again

A Swedish princess will join frontline workers at a hospital treating coronavirus patients

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