Buckingham Palace has confirmed that The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh have received their Covid-19 vaccinations today.
“The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh have today received Covid-19 vaccinations,” the palace says. Her Majesty and Prince Philip are 94 and 99 respectively and are part of one of the priority vulnerable groups to be given the injections first.
The Queen and Prince Philip read a card from Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. (Chris Jackson/Getty/Buckingham Palace)
Her Majesty and the Duke are among around 1.5 million people in the UK to have had at least one dose of a Covid vaccine so far. People aged over 80 in the UK are among the high-priority groups who are being given the vaccine first, alongside NHS staff, and care home workers.
There has been much speculation about whether the royal couple would have the jab, and if they would make it public knowledge. A spokesperson, however, said: “To prevent inaccuracies and further speculation, Her Majesty decided that she would let it be known she has had the vaccination.”
The Royals were given the jabs by the royal household doctor at Windsor Castle, where they have been staying since lockdown began, including over the Christmas break instead of heading to Sandringham, The Queen’s Norfolk private residence where the Royal Family traditionally spend Christmas.
HMS Bubble, as the media have dubbed the lockdown royal household, sees rotas of staff work weeks on and off at a time, to enable for precautions to be taken before interacting with the royal nonagenarians.
Both Prince Charles, 72, and The Duke of Cambridge, 38, have contracted the virus, and – to the best of our knowledge – their symptoms were relatively mild.
