Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, conducted their very first in-person engagement for the year by visiting a hospital where a vaccine trial has been underway.
According to reports, the Prince of Wales and his wife were at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital on Wednesday morning to meet with the volunteers for the trials, as well as speak with the healthcare workers. The royal couple continued to carry out their work amid news that Prince Philip was admitted to the hospital as a "precautionary measure."
It comes days after Charles and Camilla, who are in their '70s, confirmed that they received their first COVID-19 jab in early February. But the royal couple's staff will not confirm if they got the British-made Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. At the hospital, the royal pair talked to the patients about their vaccination and they also thanked the hospital workers for their work and sacrifices.
Charles also said that he is concerned about the number of people from ethnic minority communities who are choosing not to get vaccinated. The Prince of Wales is on board the campaign for the vaccine rollout, saying that this is very important especially after the United Kingdom has had 100,000 deaths from the coronavirus.
Meanwhile, Charles launched a short initiative to get kids out of boredom and away from gadgets during the term break. In a video addressing children, the Prince of Wales said that he's also frustrated about not being able to go out much to meet with other people due to the pandemic.
The royal challenged the children to do bird spotting activities, plant seeds in the garden or decorate their outdoor curbs with pebbles, shells and stone. According to reports, Charles hopes that the children will be encouraged to explore nature amid the lockdown restrictions.
As a well-known environmentalist, Charles has been spending time doing outdoor activities with his grandchildren - Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis - who have been staying at Anmer Hall with their parents, Prince William and Kate Middleton. Sources said that the grandfather has been doing walks with the Cambridges at the beginning of the year while discussing royal business with his eldest son and heir.
Charles will soon become a grandfather for the fifth time as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced that they are expecting their second child after Archie. The baby, however, will be born in the United States, where the Sussexes are based and it's not clear when the royal family will get to see the Sussexes in person again due to the travel restrictions.
