The Queen and Prince Philip Received COVID Vaccines in Windsor

london, england march 13 queen elizabeth ii and prince philip, duke of edinburgh attend the launch of the queens baton relay for the xxi commonwealth games being held on the gold coast in 2018 at buckingham palace on march 13, 2017 in london, england photo by samir husseinsamir husseinwireimage

(Image credit: Samir Hussein)

published 9 January 2021

Earlier today, at Windsor Castle, the Queen and her husband, Prince Philip, received COVID-19 vaccines.
Buckingham Palace confirmed the news, even though reps for the royal family had previously insisted that no such confirmation would be issued.
Royal correspondent Rebecca English reported the news on Twitter.

The Queen and her husband, Prince Philip, have officially received COVID-19 vaccines, the Palace has confirmed.

Daily Mail royal correspondent and all-around royal expert Rebecca English shared the news on Twitter today, writing, "Breaking: The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have today received #COVD vaccinations at Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace announce. A source confirms these have been administered by a Household Doctor. HMQ decided to confirm the news to prevent 'inaccuracies and speculation.'"

In a followup tweet, English elaborated on the Queen's decision to reverse course on the issue, since the Palace had previously insisted that the royals would not confirm when or even if the monarch had been vaccinated.

"As recently as Thursday Buckingham Palace were firmly saying that they had no plans to confirm whether HMQ had been vaccinated as it was a ‘private medical matter,'" English wrote. "But the speculation, of course, continued. It was the Queen’s personal decision to make the news public."

Breaking: The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have today received #COVD vaccinations at Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace announce. A source confirms these have been administered by a Household Doctor. HMQ decided to confirm the news to prevent ‘inaccuracies and speculation’.January 9, 2021

As recently as Thursday Buckingham Palace were firmly saying that they had no plans to confirm whether HMQ had been vaccinated as it was a ‘private medical matter’. But the speculation, of course, continued. It was the Queen’s personal decision to make the news public.January 9, 2021

In the United Kingdom, the first doses of the COIVD-19 vaccine are being administered to frontline healthcare workers, nursing home employees, and elderly people over 80 years old. At 94- and 99-years-old, respectively, the Queen and Prince Philip qualify and, as such, weren't given special treatment or access to the vaccine because of their royal status.

Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with over 10 years of professional experience covering entertainment of all genres, from new movie and TV releases to nostalgia, and celebrity news. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.