Prince William is “very proud” of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip for having their coronavirus vaccine.
The 38-year-old royal spoke with a group of frontline workers and volunteers about the rollout of the UK’s vaccination programme, and urged others to take up their appointments when they are offered.
William said: “My grandparents have had the vaccine and I’m very proud of them for doing that. It’s really important that everyone gets their vaccine.”
The prince went on to praise the National Health Service (NHS) after hearing how the programme has been set up “at pace” and so been able to offer over three million people their first of two injections to fight against the disease.
He said: “This isn’t something that happens really easy, and everyone has access to it in terms of around the world.
“This is because we have a world-leading NHS, we have the right people and the right research and development here. There is a big UK story to tell.”
And William congratulated those on his video call for being involved in such a “monumental moment”.
In a clip shared on Instagram, he said: “A huge congratulations to all of you for playing your part in such a monumental moment.”
Dalene Steele, a nurse and clinical lead on coronavirus vaccinations in care homes in Ayrshire and Arran,Scotland, admitted it has been an emotional few weeks.
She said: “We have targeted care homes and done 90.5 per cent of care homes in Ayrshire. We worked seven days a week… There have been tears and lumps in the throat but there has been laughter as well. The last three weeks have been such an experience.”
The royal replied: “It’s nice to have that light at the end of the tunnel.”
It was confirmed last week that the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh had had their vaccinations, with ministers reportedly hoping the revelation would encourage others to take up the offer of a vaccine.