Queen, Prince Philip receive COVID-19 vaccine

Buckingham Palace announced Saturday that Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh have both been inoculated with the COVID-19 vaccine, the BBC reported.

The Queen and Prince Philip received the shots on Saturday at Windsor Castle, putting them among the nearly 1.5 million U.K. residents who have gotten at least the first dose of the vaccine since its rollout, the BBC reported.

The royal pair, who are both in their 90s, are also included in Britain’s high-priority group of citizens age 80 and over who have been first to receive the vaccine.

The BBC, citing a source close to the royals, reported that the Queen decided to allow the public to know about her vaccination in an attempt to end further speculation.

During 2020, the Queen spent seven months without making public appearances outside the palace. The outlet reported that her oldest son, Prince Charles, and her grandson Prince William both tested positive for the coronavirus during that time.

In April, the Queen called on her country to remain united in order to overcome the pandemic.

“Together we are tackling this disease, and I want to reassure you that if we remain united and resolute then we will overcome it,” she said then.

The U.K. has reported a total of 81,000 deaths from the virus since the beginning of the pandemic, according to Johns Hopkins University.