Kate Middleton and Prince William Might Get the COVID-19 Vaccine on Camera

• Kate Middleton and Prince William could receive the COVID-19 vaccine on camera to encourage others to get immunized, royal expert Omid Scobie suggested.
• "We could possibly have the cameras with the Cambridges much later in the year when younger people have access to the vaccine," Scobie said on his podcast, HeirPod.
• Buckingham Palace confirmed last week that the Queen and Prince Philip had received the first dose of the vaccine.

Kate Middleton and Prince William could get the COVID-19 vaccine on camera in order to encourage others in the U.K. to get vaccinated, a royal expert has suggested. After Buckingham Palace confirmed last week that the Queen and Prince Philip had both received the first dose of the vaccine, Finding Freedom author Omid Scobie said the Cambridges could be good candidates to persuade others to get immunized.

On the latest episode of his podcast HeirPod, as the Daily Express reports, Scobie spoke to ABC News correspondent Maggie Rulli about Buckingham Palace's decision to confirm the Queen and Prince Philip's vaccination, an unusual move for a family that typically keeps health news under wraps. "It will be really interesting to see, as this sort of trickles down to other groups, will we hear from Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall when they have their vaccination?" Scobie said.

"We could possibly have the cameras with the Cambridges much later in the year when younger people have access to the vaccine," Scobie continued. "It will be interesting to see how this plays out." In the U.S., both president-elect Joe Biden and vice president-elect Kamala Harris received the first dose of the vaccine on live TV, in an effort to demonstrate its safety.

Rulli spoke about public resistance to vaccines, suggesting the Cambridges could encourage others of their generation when they become eligible for the vaccine. As Kate and William do not belong to any of the high priority groups identified by the U.K.'s National Health Service, they're unlikely to be vaccinated in the immediate future. "When we first started talking about vaccines, we did some pieces at ABC just about public perception of them," Rulli said. "I went out and spoke with some people, and just asking their opinion on the vaccine and if they would take it."

"I was blown away by how many young people who said that they were cautious about the vaccine and didn't feel comfortable taking it," the ABC correspondent said. "Even as it trickles down, having the Cambridges step forward will also be a really powerful statement."

The Guardian reported last November that U.K. government officials and NHS bosses were planning to recruit celebrities and influencers to receive the vaccine and advise others to follow suit. "NHS England are looking for famous faces, people who are known and loved. It could be celebrities who are very sensible and have done sensible stuff during the pandemic," an insider told the newspaper. An NHS source suggested that members of the royal family, as well as soccer player and child food poverty campaigner Marcus Rashford, would be well-suited to the campaign.