Prince Charles confirms he will 'absolutely' take 'critical Covid vaccine
11 January 2021, 23:12
Prince Charles has said he will "absolutely" get the Covid vaccine when he's offered it just days after the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh were vaccinated.
Over the weekend it was revealed the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh had received their Covid-19 vaccinations, joining the millions of Brits who have received the jab.
The Prince of Wales tested positive for the virus in March 2020 and was one of the first high profile cases.
Charles and the Duke of Cambridge both contracted coronavirus during the first wave of the pandemic.
Charles was described as having mild symptoms and lost his sense of taste and smell for a period, while it was reported his son William was hit "pretty hard" by the virus.
On a visit to a vaccination centre at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital before Christmas, Charles said he is "way down the list" for an inoculation.
Prince Charles pays tribute to NHS on its 72nd birthday
The Prince was speaking to CNN following the launch of his new Terra Carta initiative on Monday, telling the US news channel that the vaccination was vital to ending the pandemic.
"I think vaccination is critical to ensure we have a way out of this, otherwise it is going to be very difficult," he said.
But he warned humanity could face a wave of new illnesses if we do not tackle global warming and destruction of the natural world.
Charles said: "Planetary health and nature's health is intimately linked to our own health."
He said through the destruction of the natural world and the mass extinction of species "we are making ourselves ever more vulnerable to all sorts of diseases and problems".
The prince added: "So this pandemic will not be the last one unless we are very careful, so that's why it's critical to heal the natural world as well as ourselves.
"This is why we can't ignore it."
