Queen Elizabeth & Prince Philip Receive Vaccine for COVID-19 — Here Are the Details
Prince Philip and long-reigning Queen Elizabeth II received their vaccinations against the novel coronavirus shortly after the monarch expressed that there are "better days" ahead.
Over the weekend, royal editor Rebecca English took to social media with the news that the reigning monarch and her husband received their COVID-19 vaccines.
A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace also confirmed the news with ET, and it came shortly after the Queen's New Year's address, which mostly focused on aspects of the pandemic.
Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh pose in the quadrangle of Windsor Castle ahead of his 99th birthday on Wednesday, on June 1, 2020, in Windsor, United Kingdom. | Source: Getty Images.
PREVENTING INACCURACIES
According to reports, Queen Elizabeth II decided it would be best that she publically shared her and her 99-year-old husband's new vaccination status.
A household doctor at Windsor Castle administered the vaccines, and by sharing the information, the 94-year-old monarch wants to prevent further speculation and inaccuracies.
"The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have today received #COVID vaccinations at Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace announce," English shared on January 9.
WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT
News of their vaccinations came shortly after the Queen's annual Christmas and New Year's messages, wherein she reflected on the difficulties of the past year and her hopes for the coming year.
In the past, Queen Elizabeth II weaved royal highlights of the year into her speech, but this year she called for the nation to unite amid the pandemic. Sharing optimism for the year ahead, the monarch wrote:
"We may have more still to endure, better days will return: we will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again."
THEIR MASS VACCINATION EFFORT
Britain became the first country to start with mass vaccinations, and the country's Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, made work of accelerating the vulnerable and elderly's access to the vaccine.
While it's unknown which vaccine the senior royal couple received, Johnson announced last week that more than 1.3 million people across the country already received the vaccination.
MINDFUL HEALTH
Queen Elizabeth II stays in good health overall, and the 94-year-old monarch has her lifelong mindfulness in terms of exercise and food to thank for that.
Dishing on her eating habits, the former royal chef, Darren McGrady, said that the Queen begins every day with a bowl of Kellogs Special K Cereal and a cup of tea, and avoids starch at all costs.