Prince Charles and Camilla Make First In-Person Royal Visit of the Year to Thank Vaccine Volunteers
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Molly Darlington - WPA Pool/Getty Images Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles
Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall are thanking volunteers fighting against the coronavirus pandemic in their first outing of 2021.
The royal couple visited Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham on Wednesday to meet healthcare workers and volunteers taking part in clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccinations. Prince Charles, 72, and Camilla, 73, wore surgical face masks during the outing, where they were shown around by Chief Pharmacist Inderjit Singh.
They spoke about recently receiving the first dose of coronavirus vaccinations.
"I leapt for joy," Camilla told staff about receiving the "jab," as the shot is called in the U.K. "I didn't feel anything. I'm eternally grateful for everything."
The Duchess of Cornwall also said that the vaccine "doesn't hurt."
"I was waiting for it to be done and they said, 'It has been done.' It was painless. It was brilliant," she added. "It's very good when it's over as you feel more secure. Panic over."
Molly Darlington - WPA Pool/Getty Images Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles
"Ladies and Gentleman, the Secretary of State mentioned just now that the National Health Service was 72 years old, which happens to coincide exactly with the same age as I am," Prince Charles said in a speech. "And the great thing is that the NHS has done a great deal better I can assure you than I have, as I am gradually falling apart."
"I know, over the last year, it must be absolutely exhausting for so many of you," he continued. "But I know the NHS is such an enormous team and there are masses of people who are unsung and unseen heroes and heroines."
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MOLLY DARLINGTON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles
After being confined to virtual calls and video messages over the past few months, Charles and Camilla's hospital visit marks the first in-person engagement for any member of the British royal family in the new year.
Molly Darlington - WPA Pool/Getty Images Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles
The outing also comes after Prince Charles' father, Prince Philip, 99, was admitted to King Edward VII hospital in London on Tuesday evening on the advice of his doctor after "feeling unwell," Buckingham Palace said in a statement.
He left Windsor Castle, where he has been staying with his wife, Queen Elizabeth, since November amid lockdown in the U.K., late on Tuesday and is expected to remain in the hospital for a few days.
Steve Parsons/Press Association via Getty Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip
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Palace sources stress that this was not an emergency admission and that Philip walked into the hospital unaided.
He had been feeling unwell and the doctor was called. His hospital stay is expected to be "purely precautionary," a source adds. The illness is not COVID-19-related.
