Kate Middleton has received her first dose of Covid vaccine at London’s Science Museum and thanked ‘everyone who is playing a part in the rollout’.
The Duchess of Cambridge wore a blue face covering with a short-sleeved cream top and light blue jeans as a medic jabbed her in the arm at the South Kensington site yesterday.
The 39-year-old said she was ‘hugely grateful’ to those dishing out the vaccine in a post on the official Kensington Palace Twitter account.
It came just ten days after her husband Prince William had his first shot from NHS medical staff at the same location.
The 38-year-old posted a picture of himself wearing a mask with his sleeve rolled up and a needle in his arm as he received the jab near where he lives with Kate and their three children.
London’s Science Museum is offering both the Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca jab, NHS England confirmed – both of which Kate and William are entitled to as they are under 40. Kensington Palace has not officially revealed which vaccine was given to the royal couple.
Kate said today: ‘Yesterday I received my first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine at London’s Science Museum. I’m hugely grateful to everyone who is playing a part in the rollout – thank you for everything you are doing.’
The post was accompanied by a photograph of the masked duchess wearing the short-sleeved top receiving the injection from a staff member who has not been named.
Responding to the Kensington Palace tweet, Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who was also jabbed at the Science Museum, said: ‘In the last fortnight more than half of all people in their 30s have been vaccinated.
‘Delighted HRH The Duchess of Cambridge was able to get her jab at the Science Museum.’
Prince William said on May 20 he had his vaccine shot on May 18 and followed his father Prince Charles and grandmother the Queen in revealing he had been jabbed.
A message from the 39-year-old on the Kensington Palace Twitter account said: ‘Yesterday I received my first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine at London’s Science Museum’
It comes just ten days after her husband Prince William had his first shot from NHS medical staff at the same location
Kate and William join young carers from Fife for a session of Land Yachting on Wednesday in St Andrews, Scotland
Public Health England analysis shows of the 12 people who have died with the variant in the country, eight were unvaccinated, two had a first dose, and two had both doses of a vaccine
More promising data from PHE show that the effects of the variant on vaccinated people are significantly less – out of 5,599 cases only 177 were found to be in people who had had both doses, and only one out of 43 hospital admissions was. Infections, hospitalisations and deaths were all significantly more common in unvaccinated people
Prince William was struck down by coronavirus in April 2020 and ‘struggled to breathe’ during his battle with the virus. But the public only found out later because the Royal did not want to alarm them.
He is understood to have caught it just days after his father Prince Charles announced he had Covid and shortly after Boris Johnson was struck down by it.
The royal was forced to self isolate at Anmer Hall in Norfolk as he shook off the virus as doctors helped him through it.
Despite fighting the debilitating illness, the Prince still managed to pull off 14 telephone and video call engagements in April.
A source told the Sun: ‘William was hit pretty hard by the virus – it really knocked him for six. At one stage he was struggling to breathe, so obviously everyone around him was pretty panicked.
‘After seeing medics and testing positive – which was obviously quite a shock given how fit and healthy he is – William was determined it should be business as usual though. He was determined to fulfil his engagements.’
William also spoke out against misinformation over the coronavirus and vaccines on social media and online. In February he urged people get jabbed so ‘younger generations’ will feel ‘it’s really important for them to have it’.
Speaking to two clinically vulnerable women, he said: ‘Catherine and I are not medical experts by any means but we can wholeheartedly support having vaccinations.
‘We’ve spoken to a lot of people about it and the uptake has been amazing so far. We’ve got to keep it going so the younger generations also feel that it’s really important for them to have it. Social media is awash with misinformation so we have to be a bit careful who we believe.’
Yesterday William and Kate issued a personalised thank you card dedicated to the people who made their return to Scotland ‘so special’.
The thoughtful note featured a sketch of St Andrews – the university town where the couple met while both studying – which Kate drew in 2002.
It shows a view of the town from West Sands beach, with the Duchess seemingly using a splash of blue watercolour paint to bring out the sky.
The message read: ‘To the people, communities and organisations we visited and heard from; and those who stopped to wave and make our return to Scotland so special – thank you! William and Catherine.’
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge issued a personalised thank you card today dedicated to the people who made their return to Scotland ‘so special’ – featuring a sketch of St Andrews by Kate
The thoughtful note featured a sketch of St Andrews – the university town where the couple met while both studying – which Kate drew in 2002
Kate studied history of art at St Andrews and graduated in 2005 with an MA, graded at a 2:1. Having started university on the same course as Kate, William later switched to geography.
During their week-long tour of Scotland – dubbed a royal charm offensive to help persuade the country to resist the demands of nationalists for independence – the couple enjoyed a trip down memory lane, visiting the town where they fell in love.
The tour included a meeting with Gordon Brown, who has recently launched a renewed campaign to save the Union.
The couple sat down for talks with the former prime minister and his wife Sarah at the Queen’s official Edinburgh residence during the final day of their royal tour of Scotland.
The future king later gave a highly personal farewell speech as his week-long visit drew to a close, describing how Scotland has ‘shaped’ him and praising its people and values.
William said Scotland was ‘so important’ to himself and wife Kate as he recounted their experiences meeting a range of inspirational people from spritely pensioners, selfless NHS workers and committed charity volunteers over the past week.
The duke sat down for talks with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at the weekend and also met Alistair Carmichael, Liberal Democrat MP for Orkney and Shetland, when the Cambridges opened Orkney’s hospital.
The Cambridges first arrived in St Andrews on Tuesday night, the day before their engagements, and enjoyed a private ‘date night’ dinner at Forgan’s restaurant where they were seated in a ‘secluded’ corner table.
After staying locally, rather than at the Queen’s Edinburgh residence of Holyroodhouse, the couple enjoyed a morning of land yacht racing on a St Andrews beach.
Later William and Kate met students and staff at St Andrews to hear about how their lives have been affected by the pandemic, and stopped off at St Salvator’s halls, where they first met.
They then made a short drive to the coastal village of Pittenweem to meet local fishermen and their families, and at the end of a busy day of engagements they stopped off for a takeaway fish supper at their favourite chippy, the award-winning Anstruther Fish Bar, in the coastal town of Anstruther, where they were ‘regular customers’ while students 20 years ago.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (pictured on Thursday) have held a meeting with Gordon Brown who has recently launched a renewed campaign to save the Union
William and Kate sat down for talks with the former prime minister and his wife Sarah (pictured in 2019) at the Queen’s official Edinburgh residence during the final day of their royal tour of Scotland
The future king (pictured meeting Highland dancers) later gave a highly personal farewell speech as his week-long visit drew to a close, describing how Scotland has ‘shaped’ him and praising its people and values
During the tour the couple also hosted a drive-in cinema night at the Palace of Holyroodhouse for NHS staff, opened a hospital in Orkney and played tennis with local schoolchildren in Edinburgh.
Kate also made good on a promise to meet five-year-old cancer patient Mila Sneddon, and wore her favourite colour when she welcomed the youngster to Holyroodhouse.
The couple concluded their trip with the Closing Ceremony of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, followed by a Beating the Retreat ceremony back at the Palace.
William delivered two emotional speeches in his role as Lord High Commissioner at the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, stressing his deep connection to the nation and its people.
He emphasised Scotland is ‘so important’ to him and his wife in a very personal address, adding: ‘I am shaped by this place.
‘The abiding affection I feel for it is rooted in my experience of its everyday life – in people, relationships, and its ethic of neighbourliness.’
Meanwhile a business run by Kate’s parents has recorded losses of more than £1million after it was hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
Party Pieces Holdings’ directors, which include the Duchess of Cambridge’s parents Carole and Michael, claimed losses were ‘forecast’ and blamed the shortfall on major restructuring.
It had assets of £175,000 but owed £1.2million to creditors, leaving it with an overall loss of £1.067million, according to its accounts.
The Middletons teamed up with new investors to develop their party business – which they have run since Kate was a young girl.
Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the firm’s directors claim to be ‘wholly optimistic’ about the future of the company.
The directors, who include Kate Middleton’s mother and father Carole and Michael (pictured together) said losses were ‘forecast’ and part of a major restructuring of the business
The Duchess of Cambridge’s parent’s company Party Pieces Holdings has recorded losses of more than £1million after revealing accounts for the first time
Its accounts read: ‘The company began trading in September 2019 to expand and develop the existing ‘Party Pieces’ brand. Loan capital investments of £1.2million were made by the directors to finance four key areas.’
Changes included a new website, the creation of own-brand products, selling wholesale and selling in international markets.
But a ‘number of challenges’ surfaced during lockdown, it added, when parties and large gatherings were banned to stem the spread of coronavirus.
‘The company faced a number of challenges during the pandemic and the associated lockdowns in respect of product availability and logistical problems, however was able to trade throughout,’ it said.
The accounts revealed the party company has not been negatively impacted by Britain leaving the European Union.
It said: ‘During the year the company was preparing for the end of the transition period and UK’s exit from the single market.
‘The trade deal that has been agreed has brought new processes in the import and export of goods, however the company has felt no significant impact.’
The first four product ranges in the Party Pieces own-brand collection will be launched this summer, it revealed.
The report added: ‘The company has invested heavily in new innovative product ranges to create proprietary Party Pieces own brand merchandise.
‘The first four product ranges with over 50 lines are being launched in the summer of 2021 with 2 new ranges to follow in the autumn. It remains a priority of the business to introduce new ranges continually.
‘The losses in the year were forecasted and present the foundations that have been put down to trade successfully into 2021.
‘The directors are wholly optimistic with the future forecast for the business to remain on plan in the year ahead.’
Party Pieces Holdings employed 21 people during the period of the accounts September 5, 2019 to the end of December 2020.