Prince William is second in line to the British throne as the son of the Queen’s eldest child Prince Charles. However, the Duke of Cambridge could soon act as a regent in the place of his grandmother.

This is because the Queen and Prince Charles could be force into strict isolation for months.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said every Briton over the age of 70 will be told "within the coming weeks" to stay at home for an extended period to shield them from the deadly coronavirus.

This is because all the UK deaths - so far 21 - from the virus have been among people aged over 60 or with underlying health conditions.

According to Mr Hancock, the over 70s could have to stay at home for up to four months.

This means the Queen, who is 93, and Prince Charles, who is 71, will be forced into isolation and will not be able to perform their royal duties.

The Queen’s husband Prince Philip, 98, and Charles’ wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, 72, will also have to self-isolate.

The Government is likely to announce the drastic measures at some point within the next couple of weeks.

The “wartime-style” mobilisation will aim to protect the most vulnerable from coronavirus, which causes respiratory disease COVID-19.

If such measures are implemented, that will not leave many senior working members of the Royal Family eligible to carry on representing the Firm.

At the moment, senior working members include Prince William, 37, and his wife Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, 38, and Prince Edward, 56, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, 55.

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Prince Harry, 35, and Meghan Markle, 38, recently completed their final ever royal engagements and will not be available to help out.

Prince Andrew, 60, the Queen’s second son, also quit his life as a working royal after being questioned about his friendship with disgraces sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in a BBC Newsnight interview.

The Queen’s daughter Princess Anne could choose to help out Prince William, however, she will turn 70 in August.

Queen Elizabeth II has already scrapped plans last minute due to the increasing cases of coronavirus in the UK.

A statement shared by the Royal Family said as a “sensible precaution and for practical reasons in the current circumstances, changes are being made to the Queen‘s diary commitments in the coming weeks”.

The statement read: “In consultation with the Medical Household and Government, Her Majesty’s forthcoming visits to Cheshire and Camden will be rescheduled.

“Audiences will continue as usual. Other events will be reviewed on an ongoing basis in line with the appropriate advice.”

In Britain so far, the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus has risen to 1,140 and left 21 dead.

Cases of COVID-19 is expected to peak from late May to late June in the UK.

express.co.uk