As vaccines for the Covid-19 virus get rolled out for the elderly across U.K. amidst lockdown, the royal family sets an example for the nation by getting its senior members vaccinated. Among the first royals to receive the vaccine are Her Royal Highness, Queen Elizabeth II, and her husband, Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh.
“My grandparents have had the vaccine and I’m very proud of them for doing that,” said Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, over a video call with frontline workers. He continued, “It’s really important that everyone gets their vaccine.” According to a Kensington Palace press release, the Duke of Cambridge was conferencing with frontline workers and volunteers from across the U.K. via video call “to hear more about their involvement in the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine, and to pay tribute to their dedication and continued efforts to ensure that the most vulnerable people in society are protected from coronavirus.”
Prince William’s statement has been confirmed by the Buckingham Palace. In an official statement, the Palace announced that both Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip had received the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, in keeping with the government rollout for their age group. The Queen had recently turned 94 while her husband is 99 years old.
The United Kingdom continues to operate under heavy lockdown as the pandemic unleashed a fresh wave across the nation towards the end of 2020. With the discovery of a new highly contagious virus strain, the country has shifted once again into a state of remote functioning in an effort to mitigate the magnitude of the new pandemic wave. The royal household has since been carrying out its official duties remotely as well. A significant part of these duties has been to work in conjunction with the health care unit of the country to discuss strategies of bringing the pandemic under control.
A week ago, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Princess Catherine, spoke with staff from Hospice UK’s Just “B” counselling, over video conferencing to discuss issues faced by the frontline workers in coping with the pandemic. Frontline workers have been continuously working under stress and need much support from public as well as healthcare to bear the toll the pandemic has taken on them mentally and physically. Prince William has also been actively participating in video calls with diverse members of the healthcare fraternity to set the vaccine roll out in motion across the United Kingdom.
“I want to say a huge congratulations to everyone involved in the vaccination programme because it looks tremendous, it really does,” said Prince William, Duke of Cambridge as the vaccination process gained momentum. “I know what a massive difference it is going to make to everyone. It is also worth pointing out I think that this isn’t something that happens really easily and that everyone has access to around the world. This is because we have a world-leading NHS and we have the right people, research and development here.”