Denmark's Queen Margrethe, 80, Is First European Royal to Receive COVID-19 Vaccine

"The Queen will be revaccinated in about three weeks," the palace announced

Denmark's Queen Margrethe II
Denmark's Queen Margrethe. Photo: Tim Rooke/Shutterstock

Denmark's Queen Margrethe has become the first European sovereign to publicly receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

On Friday, the Amalienborg Palace announced that "Her Majesty The Queen has today been vaccinated against Covid-19. The Queen will be revaccinated in about three weeks."

No photos were released of the vaccine administration.

The announcement makes Margrethe the first European royal to acknowledge taking the vaccine. While Queen Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip will reportedly "let it be known" if they've received a vaccine, there has so far been no indication from Buckingham Palace that the 94-year-old monarch or her 99-year-old husband have been inoculated.

Queen Margrethe, who is a third cousin of the British monarch, celebrated her 80th birthday last April, which qualified her among those first to receive the vaccine in Denmark.

Denmark's Queen Margrethe II
Denmark's Queen Margrethe. Carsten Rehder/picture alliance via Getty Images

Inoculations started in the country on Dec. 27 and to date, approximately 30,000 Danes have been treated with the two-stage Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, with priority going to health care workers, those over 65 and retirement home residents.

Since March, Denmark has reported 168,000 cases and 1,345 deaths among its 5.8 million citizens.

The announcement followed Queen Margrethe's 49th annual New Year's address, which was almost entirely dedicated to the pandemic and thanking responders for their dedication and hard work.

During her televised speech, Margrethe also acknowledged having 'just celebrated Christmas with Crown Prince Joachim and Princess Marie, as well as having "seen" Crown Prince Frederik and his family during the holidays.

Denmark's Queen Margrethe II
Denmark's Queen Margrethe. Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images

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!

The Crown Prince, his wife Mary and their children were quarantined on December 6 after their eldest son, Prince Christian, tested positive.

Margrethe would be the second royal reported to have been vaccinated. Middle East news agencies say Bahrain's 70-year-old King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa reportedly received the Pfizer vaccine on Dec. 16.

You Might Like

Related Articles