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The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh have received vaccines against the coronavirus, Buckingham Palace said.
The couple received the first doses of their COVID-19 jabs on Saturday, according to a spokesperson, in a rare announcement commenting on the royal family’s private health affairs.
It is understood the Queen decided that the information should be made public to avoid inaccuracies and new speculation.
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A royal source confirmed that the injections were administered by a royal house physician at Windsor Castle.
The 94-year-old Queen and 99-year-old Felipe have spent their confinement in England taking refuge there after deciding to spend a quiet Christmas at their Berkshire residence, forgoing the traditional royal family gathering at Sandringham.
They join over a million people who have received the jab so far.
Sky News royal correspondent Rhiannon Mills said it was “an incredibly unusual move” by the Palace to make the news public.
“Since we found out that COVID-19 vaccines were going to be rolled out across the UK, there has been speculation about whether and when the Queen and Prince Philip would have them, after all, due to their age and not just their positions. They were at the top of the list, “he said.
“The Palace has consistently said that this was a private matter for the 94-year-old monarch and her 99-year-old consort, very much in line with how they would normally deal with anything to do with their health.”
It was the Queen who decided she wanted to break the news, Mills said, which is “hugely significant.” It is likely to have the effect of giving skeptical members of the public more confidence in the vaccine.
Charles and William, photographed in December 2019, have both had coronavirus. Photo: Kensington Palace
It is not known which vaccine the queen and duke were given, but they are likely to receive their second dose up to 12 weeks later.
In the US, key public figures have been photographed while getting vaccinated, and President-elect Joe Biden appeared on live television when he received a dose in December.
“The public service message that it sends will certainly delight those at Number 10 and the health service who want to promote that having the vaccine is safe.
“Royalty in the past has set a powerful example when it comes to medical advancement. Queen Victoria used chloroform as an anesthetic during childbirth, and Queen Elizabeth II broke protocol when she made public that Prince Charles and Princess Anne had contracted the polio vaccine in 1957.
“Today’s announcement is a public relations dream, the monarch and her husband showed that they believe in the vaccine and that it is the right thing to do; once again, it is an example for the rest of the country, as the Queen and her family have treated to do the right thing at all times. the pandemic. “
The Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge contracted coronavirus during the first wave of the pandemic.
Charles was described as having mild symptoms and losing his sense of taste and smell for a period, while his son William was reported to have been hit “pretty hard” by the virus.
On a visit to a vaccination center at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital before Christmas, Charles said he is “very low on the list” for a vaccine.
On Friday, a third coronavirus vaccine was approved for use in the UK. The latest hit, from the American biotech firm Moderna, received the green light from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, joining the Pfizer / BioNTech and Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccines, which are already being used here.
