Queen Elizabeth II encouraged people to take the coronavirus vaccine after getting the jab themselves.
There are several vaccines in the UK, and millions have already accepted the offer to get the sting.
But the reigning monarch sought to quell fears that it could be dangerous by giving her personal experience of getting the vaccine.
The 94-year-old appeared in a video call with NHS officials responsible for the vaccination and delivery of vaccinations.
The queen told them, ‘It’s a bit like a plague because it’s not just here where we have the virus, it’s everywhere. Once you have the vaccine, you feel protected … as far as I can tell it was quite harmless.
“It was very fast and I had a lot of letters from people who were very surprised at how easy it was to get the vaccine.”
But then she makes people who have not received the vaccine and do not intend to get a sting.
“It’s obviously difficult for people if they’ve never had a vaccine, then they have to think about other people rather than about themselves,” she said.
“I think it’s remarkable how quickly the whole thing was done and that so many people already had the vaccine.”
The queen added: “It did not hurt at all.”
The UK has set an ambitious goal of vaccinating at least 15 million people from four key groups by 15 February, and has succeeded in achieving this.
The plan was to ensure that everyone over the age of 70 and who were clinically vulnerable had at least one dose of vaccine, as well as vaccinations to every resident of a care home and health and social care workers.
It is also possible that some people outside the four main priority groups also received a dose in an attempt to prevent doses from spilling.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock issued a statement when the goal was reached: “I am so proud of the team – we have achieved this fantastic milestone in our fight against COVID-19. In less than ten weeks we are stuck more than 15 million people across the UK.
“This is one in four adults who are now receiving protection against this terrible disease.”
“This achievement is due to the incredible efforts of frontline NHS staff, vaccine volunteers, the armed forces and everyone working in local and central government. The vaccination shows what our country can achieve to work together .
“There’s so much more to do, and I call on anyone who is eligible to come forward and take their appointment. The vaccine is our way to freedom – we will beat this virus jab by jab.”
Hancock hopes that progress in treating the virus and vaccines Covid-19 by 2021 could make it a ‘treatable disease’.