The Queen is in line to receive a coronavirus vaccine in the coming weeks and will then reveal the news to encourage people to also get vaccinated, according to reports.
The UK will become the first country to begin mass vaccinating against COVID-19, beginning 'phase one' on Tuesday night (NZ time).
Queen Elizabeth, 94, and Prince Philip, 99, are set to get the COVID-19 vaccine "in weeks", senior sources told The Mail on Sunday.
The royal pair will not be receiving preferential treatment. They will instead "wait in line" during the first wave of jabs, reserved for care home residents and their carers.
Frontline health workers and those aged over 80 will be offered the vaccination next, which will include the Queen and Prince Philip.
It is reported that both will accept the offer of the injection on the advice of their doctors.
Senior members of the Royal Family will be offered the vaccine at the same time as others in their age groups, to avoid accusations of favouritism.
If the couple goes public about getting vaccinated, public health experts say that could help to combat conspiracy theorists - which are feared could lead a large portion of the population to refuse the vaccine.
But some advisors have warned that this could be seen as "politicising" the royal family, and that it would be an invasion of medical privacy.
Officials are reportedly debating whether celebrities such as Sir David Attenborough and Dame Judi Dench could be deployed as ambassadors for the vaccine.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will most likely have to wait until next year to get vaccinated, when those in their 30s are eligible.
The UK reported 15,539 new coronavirus cases on Saturday and 397 daily deaths. In total, there have been 1.71 million cases in the UK and over 61,000 deaths.
