Queen Margrethe of Denmark set a royal precedent this week by becoming the first European monarch to receive the coronavirus vaccine.
Although no photos were released of the event, the Amalienborg Palace announced on its official website on New Year’s Day that “Her Majesty The Queen has today been vaccinated against COVID-19. The Queen will be revaccinated in about three weeks.” The royal, who is the third cousin of Queen Elizabeth, turned 80 in April which qualifies her to be one of the first Danish residents to receive the vaccine. Vaccinations in the country began on December 27 and so far approximately 30,000 Danes have been treated with an emphasis on healthcare workers, retirement home residents, and those over 65. Since March, the country with a population of 5.8 million has reported 168,000 cases and 1,345 deaths.
The news also means that Margrethe is the first European royal to publicly acknowledge receiving the vaccine. The Sunday Times previously reported that Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip, who will turn 100 this year, will “let it be known” to the public once they received their inoculations, but so far the royal couple has given no indication they’ve gotten their shots.
This wouldn’t be Queen Elizabeth’s first time assuaging the public’s fears about a new vaccine and its side effects. In 1957, she made it known that Prince Charles and his sister Princess Anne—then 8 and 6 years old—had both been vaccinated against polio which at the time was a new vaccine many were hesitant about taking.
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