Prince William Is 'Very Proud' of Grandparents Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth for Getting COVID Vaccine
Prince William is proud of the example his grandparents are setting for their British citizens.
The royal, 38, recently spoke with frontline workers and volunteers from across the U.K. via a video call about the country's COVID-19 vaccination roll-out, and praised Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip for getting the vaccine.
"My grandparents have had the vaccine and I'm very proud of them for doing that," William said, adding, "It's really important that everyone gets their vaccine."
Buckingham Palace announced earlier this month that the Queen, 94, and her husband, 99, who are both in the high-risk category, were given vaccinations. "The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh have today received Covid-19 vaccinations," a Buckingham Palace spokesperson told PEOPLE on Jan. 9.
RELATED: Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip Receive Coronavirus Vaccine
A royal source confirmed that the vaccinations were administered by a Household Doctor at Windsor Castle. As for why the news was made public, the source said the monarch wanted to prevent speculation and inaccuracies.
News of their vaccinations came one day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a new national lockdown for England and Scotland until at least mid-February as a new, more virulent strain of the disease has begun to spread.
Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!
London is in Tier 4 lockdown, which means citizens must stay home except for approved reasons such as buying food, exercising outdoors, medical purposes or work that can't be done from home.
The U.K. has approved both the Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines in their fight against the virus. Hundreds of vaccination sites and hospital hubs have been established across the British country to administer the vaccines. Last week, NHS England opened the first seven large vaccination centers helping those who are most at risk from COVID-19 to access vaccines for free, regardless of where they live.
"I want to say a huge congratulations to everyone involved in the vaccination program because it looks tremendous, it really does," William said during his latest video call. "I know what a massive difference it is going to make to everyone. It is also worth pointing out I think that this isn't something that happens really easily and that everyone has access to around the world. This is because we have a world-leading NHS and we have the right people, research and development here."
As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from the CDC, WHO and local public health departments. PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMe to raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, click here.
