Royals

Prince Charles Has Never Looked So Happy to Be Back to Work — See the Excited Royal in Action

Queen Elizabeth's son, who has recovered from coronavirus, thanked workers who kept the London Underground running throughout the pandemic

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Published on July 2, 2020 04:34 PM

Royal outings may look different post-coronavirus, but Prince Charles is happy to be back to work!

Queen Elizabeth's eldest son and heir, 71, stepped out on Thursday to meet key workers from Transport for London who have worked throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Charles rolled down the car window and flashed a huge smile as he left the engagement, where he told staff who kept the London Underground running, "I don't know how you do it."

Throughout the visit, the royal — who contracted a mild case of coronavirus in March — and the workers practiced safe social distancing and greeted each other with "namastes" rather than formal handshakes.

Prince Charles was in equally high spirits on Wednesday, when he found himself surrounded by farm animals — including adorable piglets — during his visit to celebrity farmer Adam Henson's Cotsworld Farm Park to promote rural tourism in the U.K.

Britain's Prince Charles, Prince of Wales — Prince Charles. CHRIS JACKSON/POOL/AFP via Getty

Despite dreary weather — Charles kept dry with the help of an umbrella during his outing — he was jovial as he was introduced to animals, including a horse named Victoria.

Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, were among the first British royals to return to in-person engagements amid the pandemic. They visited the Gloucestershire Royal Hospital on June 16 to express their thanks for keeping the healthcare and its emergency services going throughout the crisis.

After months of isolating at their home in the Scottish Highlands, the couple have returned to their London home, Clarence House, and resumed royal engagements, including hosting President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron for a special occasion: the 80th anniversary of Charles de Gaulle's "Appel," or broadcast to occupied France after the Nazi invasion in 1940.

Prince Charles and Camilla and French President Emmanuel Macron — Prince Charles, Camilla Duchess of Cornwall and President Macron. Samir Hussein/WireImage

Despite his excitement to be back at work, Prince Charles still has lingering symptoms from battle with coronavirus.

"He did speak of his personal experience, so first-hand experience for him," health care assistant Jeff Wall said. "He also spoke about his loss of smell and taste and, sort of, still felt he's still got it now."

Duchess of Cambridge Delivers Plants To EACH Hospice — Kate Middleton during a visit to The Nook in Norfolk, which is one of the three East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH) on June 25, 2020. Joe Giddens - WPA Pool/Getty

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge meets ambulance staff — Prince William. Victoria Jones/PA Images

Other royals — including Prince William, Kate Middleton and Princess Anne — have also resumed in-person engagements. However, Queen Elizabeth, 94, will unlikely to be seen outside of palace walls for many months, leading some to speculate that she will not step out for an official public duty until the fall at the earliest.

A royal source told the U.K. paper The Sunday Times, "The Queen won’t do anything which goes against the advice of people in her [age] category, and she's going to take all the appropriate advice. There are discussions what we could do and couldn’t do come October."

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While she may not be making in-person appearances, she's still maintaining a full schedule while she’s in isolation at Windsor Castle.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman says, "The Queen continues to be busy and will follow appropriate advice on engagements."