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Sunrise Star Takes COVID-19 Swipe At Prince Charles

Reacting to his 'Nature Challenge' video, Kylie Gillies said "there are bigger issues" the Prince of Wales could address during pandemic.

Australian television presenter Kylie Gillies isn’t the biggest fan of Prince Charles’ latest video in which the royal shares some tips for parents trying to keep their children occupied during the UK’s COVID-19 lockdown.

During a segment on ‘Sunrise’ on Monday, the ‘Morning Show’ host said “there are probably bigger issues” Prince Charles could be speaking about as Britain is emerging from the worst of a second wave of the pandemic.

“I know they can’t get political but the whole health system and quarantine situation... I think there are probably bigger issues that he could be interested [in] and lending his fine voice too,” Kylie told ‘Sunrise’ host David ‘Kochie’ Koch as she appeared on a panel alongside Channel 7 colleagues, Edwina Bartholomew and Mark Beretta.

“I don’t think necessarily talking about painting of rocks... he could be doing more,” she added.

Kylie Gillies (R) took a swipe at Prince Charles as she appeared on a panel alongside Edwina Bartholomew (L) and Mark Beretta (R) on Sunrise on Monday.
Channel 7
Kylie Gillies (R) took a swipe at Prince Charles as she appeared on a panel alongside Edwina Bartholomew (L) and Mark Beretta (R) on Sunrise on Monday.

On Saturday the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall released a video via the Clarence House Twitter account, in which Prince Charles set some outdoor challenges for kids that involve planting seeds and decorating pebbles.

“This week marks February half-term for many in the UK, so why not take some time to explore your local area to see what is happening in the world around you with The Prince of Wales’s Nature Challenge,” read the tweet.

In the video, he said he was “frustrated” by not being able to go outside as much as usual during what’s been “a hard year for everyone”.

“So, here’s a challenge for you,” he said, directing his message to kids.

“While you have a little time off from all your online learning, can you encourage your family to go out with you to take a really close look at the wonderful things nature is now doing, and how the same patterns occur over and over again?

“See for instance, how many birds you can spot, plant the seeds left from cooking vegetables and see how long it takes them to sprout, decorate pebbles, stones or shells.”

Prince Charles tested positive for the coronavirus during the first wave of the pandemic in March last year but said he was fortunate to have suffered only relatively mild symptoms and returned to good health.

The royal’s Clarence House office confirmed on Wednesday he and wife Camilla have had their first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.

England is emerging from the worst of a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

On Sunday it reported nearly 11,000 new infections and another 258 deaths within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test. The official death toll by this measure is over 117,000.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson hailed a “significant milestone” as data showed 15 million first doses of COVID-19 vaccinations had been delivered, fuelling calls for the government to start relaxing stringent lockdown measures.

With additional reporting by Reuters.

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