Prince William, 38, was the first Royal Family member to congratulate Oxford University researchers on their breakthrough in developing a Covid-19 vaccine. The Duke of Cambridge had followed the group’s work closely since the start of the pandemic. The Queen’s youngest son Prince Edward, 56, recently showed his support for Covid-19 research being done at the University of Reading during a visit there last Friday.
The Royal Family retweeted a video the University of Reading shared about the Earl of Wessex’s recent visit.
The tweet read: “Last week, we welcomed HRH The Earl of Wessex to our Whiteknights campus.
“He spoke with colleagues working on Covid-19, met some of our @ReadingBioSci students – and even found time to visit @ColeZoology.”
Edward met University of Reading scientists doing research into the coronavirus and had a socially-distanced tour of the Health and Life Science Building.
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The building is home to brand new teaching and research laboratories remained which have remained open throughout the recent lockdown and been used for work on research into COVID-19.
The Earl met a small group of students from the School of Biological Sciences as they took part in practical biology class studying the physiology and evolution of birds, with some students learning face-to-face with their tutors in the lab, while others joined the class online.
Edward also visited the revamped Cole Museum of Zoology and met its director, Professor Amanda Callaghan.
Accompanied by the Vice-Chancellor and Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire, the royal also met scientists working on new testing technology for the coronavirus and had a chance to see different prototype diagnostics kits in action.
Speculation as to whether the Queen and Prince Philip could get the vaccine ahead of other Britons due to their royal status has been shot down by insiders.
Nonetheless, the royal couple are both over 80-years-old and therefore are likely to be in the first group to get the vaccine because of their age.
Frontline health staff, people over 80, and care home workers will be first to get the jab.
While royal health matters are usually kept strictly private, Buckingham Palace may choose to share if and when the Queen and Philip are vaccinated.
Discussing whether or not the royals would be vaccinated on ABC royal podcast The HeirPod host Omid Scobie said: “I would like to think that would be something that Buckingham Palace would want to share publically.
“Of course the Queen very much led the country into its first lockdown and as we now come out of the second we have the news of vaccinations taking places knowing that she is in one of those first at-risk groups that is able to get the vaccine earlier.”
He added: “It will be very interesting to see how that happens.”
