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Prince Charles, 71, 'believes military-inspired fitness regime helped him bounce back' from coronavirus scare

KAIKOURA, NEW ZEALAND - NOVEMBER 23: Prince Charles, Prince of Wales takes part in a coastal walk in Kaikoura with key figures working to protect the local environment on November 23, 2019 in Kaikoura, New Zealand. The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall are on an 8-day tour of New Zealand. It is their third joint visit to New Zealand and first in four years. (Photo by Victoria Jones - Pool/Getty Images)
Prince Charles is said to be walking and doing bodyweight exercises. (Getty Images)

Prince Charles has been making the most of his military roots to keep up his fitness levels during lockdown, it has been claimed.

Charles, 71, suffered with coronavirus early on in the pandemic in the UK, but only had mild symptoms, and made a good recovery.

He’s said to believe his high level of fitness helped him. Charles served in the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy between 1971 and 1976 and enjoys walking.

According to the Daily Mirror, he has been bookending his days with a full body workout, that requires no equipment.

The paper reports he does a series of stretches, sit-ups, back extensions, push-ups and scissor jumps.

Charles skips lunch each day, and is also said to be going out for walks around Balmoral. He spent 40 years of his adult life playing polo, something his sons both play now too, and also cites scuba diving and sailing as interests on his website.

Read more: Eight things we learned as Prince Charles turned DJ on Classic FM

Picture taken on October 10, 1972 showing Prince Charles of Wales on board a Royal Navy's helicopter. (Photo by - / CENTRAL PRESS PHOTO LTD / AFP)        (Photo credit should read -/AFP via Getty Images)
Prince Charles on board a Royal Navy's helicopter in 1972. (Getty Images)

He and wife Camilla are staying in Birkhall, their Scottish home, where they have been since before the coronavirus lockdown.

Camilla, 72, previously revealed she has been doing Pilates and taking ballet classes online to keep up her fitness levels during the pandemic.

At the end of April, the duchess revealed her own secrets to keeping in shape during lockdown, which includes the Silver Swans online ballet classes offered by Royal Academy of Dance.

Silver Swans classes are specifically designed for over-55s, and have been adapted to be safe for older people.

Read more: Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, 72, reveals impressive fitness regime that includes ballet and Pilates

Britain's Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (L) and Britain's Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (R) arrive to take part in a 2 minute silence to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day (Victory in Europe Day), the end of the Second World War in Europe at the Balmoral War Memorial in central Scotland on May 8, 2020. (Photo by Amy Muir / POOL / AFP) (Photo by AMY MUIR/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Charles and Camilla have been working from their home in Scotland. (Getty Images)

Speaking about her daily exercise, she said: “We have all got to keep active because if we don’t we will seize up, we won’t be able to get out of bed.

“It doesn’t matter if it is 10 minutes or 20 minutes, it just starts off the day.

“I do a combination of a bit of Silver Swans, a bit of pilates and a lot of walking, which I love.”

Charles and Camilla were already integral members of the Royal Family, particularly as the Queen can not travel abroad any more.

But they have made sure to be visible through a series of video call engagements which replace their usual day to day charity work.

Charles was interviewed on Classic FM last week and then hosted his own programme, playing his favourite classical pieces and highlighting the problems faced by orchestras in lockdown.