Prince William Reveals Vaccination Status, Surprisingly Swole Bicep

Britain’s royal family should soon reach herd immunity. This morning, Prince William revealed that he received his first dose of a coronavirus vaccine on Tuesday. “To all those working on the vaccine rollout—thank you for everything you’ve done and continue to do,” wrote the prince in a shout out to Britain's socialized National Health Service. Certain corners of the internet, however, were fixated on the accompanying picture in which Wills had rolled up his sleeve to receive the shot. His bicep was looking noticeably swole—much more swole, in fact, than that one time we saw him playing water polo in a black speedo in college.

But royal thirst traps aside (and this moment really does recall the days when people would get all hot and bothered about the sight of a bare ankle), one may wonder why the future King of England is only just now receiving his first jab. Especially in one of the few countries where the vaccine rollout is further along than America’s—70 percent of UK residents have received a shot, while 40 percent are fully vaccinated based on the government’s latest stats.

Well, over in England they haven’t fully opened the doors of eligibility just yet. Those in their late 30s without qualifying underlying conditions, like the 38-year-old prince, only just recently became eligible for the vaccine. Plus, William previously contracted the virus in April 2020, a development that was not immediately made public.

The Queen first received a vaccination at the beginning of the year, while Prince Charles and his wife Camilla reportedly got vaxxed in February (Charles, too, had previously come down with a case in 2020). It’s unknown, however, whether 39-year-old Kate Middleton has also been vaccinated.