The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh have received their first Covid-19 vaccinations, joining more than a million people who have been given the jab.

In an unusual move Buckingham Palace, which rarely comments on the private health matters of the monarch and duke, announced the 94-year-old head of state and her consort, 99, had been given the injection.

It is understood the Queen decided the information should be made public to prevent inaccuracies and further speculation.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have today received Covid-19 vaccinations.”

A royal source confirmed the injections were administered by a royal household doctor at Windsor Castle.

The Queen and Philip have been spending the lockdown in England sheltering at their Windsor Castle home after spending Christmas at their Berkshire residence, and forgo the traditional royal family gathering at Sandringham in line with national restrictions.

The UK has now approved three Covid-19 vaccines, the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, the UK-developed Oxford-AstraZeneca jab and most recently the Moderna vaccine which was cleared for use by regulators on Friday. 

The government has ordered 17 million doses of the Moderna jab, but supplies will not delivered until the spring.