Prince William went to Oxford to see how the COVID vaccine is coming along

There’s nothing like a little nudge from the future King of England to boost morale and productivity. And that boost is especially appreciated (by, like, all of us) when it’s aimed at the brilliant team of scientists and lab technicians working towards a life-saving vaccine for COVID-19. Earlier this week, Prince William visited a lab at Oxford University where researchers have begun trials on a vaccine that will hopefully bring an end to the Coronavirus pandemic in the not-too-distant future.Kitted out in a mask and eye goggles, His Royal Highness toured the lab while practicing safe social distancing with the scientists briefing him on their progress (like a good leader showing his people how to keep each other safe). The Duke of Cambridge also chatted with UK volunteers who have been participating in clinical vaccine trials since April 23. Oxford (which has been almost entirely shut down except for novel coronavirus research) has a pool of 10,000 Brits who are all in the process of receiving the experimental vaccine.

 

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A post shared by Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@kensingtonroyal) on Jun 24, 2020 at 2:00pm PDT

If the university is successful, their vaccine will eventually be made available across the globe on a non-profit basis thanks to $100 million in funding from the UK government combined with a deal Oxford has struck with a pharmaceutical company that will aid in production and supply should the vaccine be deemed a success.Naturally, the Kensington Royal Instagram account, official social medium of William and Kate, posted about the Duke’s visit, sharing the optimistic vaccine news with their nearly 12 million followers. They also shared a clip from a Zoom discussion that William participated in, where reps from Oxford and the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca filled him in on the role of British science and innovation in the response to the pandemic.[video_embed id='1983097']RELATED: Is it fair to expect a COVID-19 vaccine by end of 2020? [/video_embed]"One of the things I'm fascinated by is why you guys [at Oxford] were so far ahead of everyone else," William said on the call. "I read that your research team had identified a while ago that coronavirus was going to be the new global pandemic problem so they had already started hatching a plan." The researchers confirmed that the team has a focus on viral diseases so they're always on the lookout for highly spreadable illnesses. William finished the call by thanking the team for their hard work and letting them know the royal family is "particularly proud" of their efforts.File this one under: "Some good news, finally."[video_embed id='1983464']BEFORE YOU GO: Novak Djokovic apologizes after testing positive for COVID-19 [/video_embed]