FILE - In this Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016 file photo, Britain's Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II bid farewell to Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos, and his wife Maria Clemencia de Santos, following their state visit, at Buckingham Palace in London. Queen Elizabeth II and her husband have received their COVID-19 vaccinations. Buckingham Palace officials said in a statement that the 94-year-old monarch and 99-year-old Prince Philip received their jabs on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021, joining some 1.5 million people in Britain who have been given the first dose of a vaccine against the coronavirus. (Stefan Wermuth/Pool Photo via AP, File)People cross the Millennium Bridge with St. Paul's Cathedral in the background in London, Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021 during England's third national lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus. (AP Photo/Tony Hicks)
WPA Rota
FILE - In this Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016 file photo, Britain's Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II bid farewell to Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos, and his wife Maria Clemencia de Santos, following their state visit, at Buckingham Palace in London. Queen Elizabeth II and her husband have received their COVID-19 vaccinations. Buckingham Palace officials said in a statement that the 94-year-old monarch and 99-year-old Prince Philip received their jabs on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021, joining some 1.5 million people in Britain who have been given the first dose of a vaccine against the coronavirus. (Stefan Wermuth/Pool Photo via AP, File)
LONDON – Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, have received their COVID-19 vaccinations, royal officials said Saturday.
Buckingham Palace officials said in a statement that the 94-year-old monarch and Philip, 99, received their jabs Saturday, joining some 1.5 million people in Britain who have been given a first dose of a vaccine.
Recommended Videos
The injections were administered at Windsor Castle, where the queen and her husband have been spending their time during the lockdown in England.
Royal officials said they took the rare step of commenting on the monarch's health in order to prevent inaccuracies and further speculation. The queen “decided that she would let it be known she has had the vaccination,” the palace statement said.
On Dec. 8, Britain became the world's first country to begin a mass vaccination drive against the coronavirus. The government says it is aiming to deliver the first vaccine doses to some 15 million people in the top priority groups by the middle of February.
That includes everyone over age 70, as well as frontline health care workers, care home residents and anyone whose health makes them especially vulnerable to the virus.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
