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The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh have been vaccinated against the coronavirus, Buckingham Palace has said.
The couple had the first doses of their COVID-19[female[feminine jabs on Saturday, according to a spokesperson, in a rare ad commenting on the royal family’s private health issues.
It is understood that Queen decided that the information should be made public to avoid inaccuracies and further speculation.
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A royal source has confirmed that the injections were administered by a royal family doctor at Windsor Castle.
The Queen, 94, and Philip, 99, spent the lockdown in England sheltering there after deciding to spend a quiet Christmas at their Berkshire residence, forgoing the traditional reunion of the royal family at Sandringham.
They join over a million people who have received the blow so far.
Sky News royal correspondent Rhiannon Mills said it was “an incredibly unusual move” by the palace to make the information public.
‘Ever since we found out that COVID-19 vaccines were going to be rolled out across the UK, there has been speculation about if and when the Queen and Prince Philip would have it – after all, due to their age and not just their positions, they were at the top of the list, ”she said.
“The palace has always said it was a private matter for the 94-year-old monarch and his 99-year-old wife, very much in keeping with how they would usually treat anything to do with their health.”
It was the Queen who decided she wanted to break the news, Mills said, which is “extremely important.” It is likely to have the effect of giving skeptical members of the public more confidence in the vaccine.
Charles and William, pictured in December 2019, both had coronavirus. Pic: Kensington Palace
In the United States, key public figures have been pictured during their inoculation, with President-elect Joe Biden appearing on live television when he received a dose in December.
“The public service message he sends will no doubt delight those in Number 10 and the health department who want to promote the fact that the vaccine is safe,” Mills said.
“The royal family in the past set a powerful example when it comes to medical breakthroughs. Queen Victoria used chloroform as an anesthetic during childbirth, and Queen Elizabeth II broke protocol when she went public that Prince Charles and Princess Anne had received polio. vaccine in 1957.
“Today’s announcement is a public relations dream, with the monarch and her husband showing they believe in the vaccine and it’s the right thing to do; once again set an example for the rest of the country as the Queen and her family tried to do good throughout the pandemic. “
The Prince of Wales and The Duke of Cambridge both contracted coronavirus in the first wave of the pandemic.
Charles has been described as having mild symptoms and lost his sense of taste and smell for some time, after his son William was reported to have been hit “pretty hard” by the virus.
During a visit to a vaccination center at the Royal Gloucestershire Hospital before Christmas, Charles said he was “bottom of the list” for a vaccination.
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A third coronavirus vaccine was approved for use in the UK on Friday. The latest jab, from US biotech company Moderna, received the green light from the Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Agency – joining vaccines from Pfizer / BioNTech and Oxford / AstraZeneca, which are already in use here .
It is not known which vaccine the Queen and Duke received, but it is likely that they will receive their second dose for up to 12 weeks after the first.
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