Dominic Raab 'not sure' if Queen will get coronavirus vaccine on TV

Watch: Raab not sure if Queen will get vaccine on camera

Coronavirus
Coronavirus

A government minister has said he is not sure if the Queen and her husband Prince Philip will get the coronavirus vaccine on television, but indicated they will get the jab.

Foreign secretary Dominic Raab said arrangements were being made for the royal couple to get the vaccine according to the list revealed by the government last week.

The Queen, at 94, and Philip, who is 99, both make the second highest category for the jab, which was rolled out from Tuesday.

Raab, who was appearing on NBC News, was asked whether the Queen and Philip will get the vaccine, and revealed: “I'm not sure whether they'll do it on camera but I'm sure arrangements will be made according to the phased approach that I set out.

EGHAM, ENGLAND - JUNE 24: Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh attend The OUT-SOURCING Inc Royal Windsor Cup 2018 polo match at Guards Polo Club on June 24, 2018 in Egham, England. (Photo by Antony Jones/Getty Images)
The Queen and Prince Philip at the Royal Windsor Cup 2018 polo match. (Getty Images)
First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (Foreign Secretary) Dominic Raab, Conservative Party MP for Esher and Walton, walks along Downing Street in London, England, on December 2, 2020. (Photo by David Cliff/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Foreign secretary Dominic Raab said he didn't know if the Queen and Prince Philip would take the vaccine on TV. (NurPhoto)

“And like any family, you know, they will have felt the pressures and all of the worries that surround this pandemic as well.”

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The Queen has had to deal with her son and her grandson contracting the deadly virus this year, though both have recovered.

Charles, 72, confirmed his diagnosis back in March, but William, 38, kept his secret.

The monarch and her husband have spent most of this year in Windsor Castle, with a small number of staff referred to as HMS Bubble.

Buckingham Palace confirmed that they would have a “quiet” Christmas at Windsor and would not be forming a festive bubble of three households with any of their children or grandchildren.

A source reported they understood their relatives had to weigh up how to see other family members.

But in Wales on Tuesday, Prince William suggested he and his wife hadn’t worked out what to do for Christmas themselves.

Queen Elizabeth II (L) appears on a screen by videolink from Windsor Castle, during a virtual audience to receive Her Excellency Sophie Katsarava (R), the Ambassador of Georgia, who was at London's Buckingham Palace on December 4, 2020. - Today, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II conducted the first virtual Audiences from Buckingham Palace, via video link from Windsor Castle. (Photo by Yui Mok / POOL / AFP) (Photo by YUI MOK/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
The Queen appears on a screen by videolink from Windsor Castle, during a virtual audience to receive Her Excellency Sophie Katsarava, the ambassador of Georgia. (AFP)

Read more: Prince William admits he and Kate are struggling to make Christmas plans

Speaking to students about the last year, he said: “It is so difficult. We are still trying to make plans. It’s difficult to know what to do for the best.”

Members of the Royal Family have to keep in mind that the Queen and Prince Philip are among the most vulnerable because of their ages.

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While the Queen hasn’t been able to carry out as many engagements since the first lockdown to deal with the pandemic, she has carried out some virtual engagements, and hosted virtual audiences for the first time on 4 December.

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