Prince William praises the efforts of Oxford team developing COVID-19 vaccine

Prince William paid a visit on Wednesday to some of the experts who are working hard to find a successful vaccine to battle COVID-19.

The Duke of Cambridge was at the University of Oxford’s Oxford Vaccine Group where he spoke to the researchers about the clinical trials of the vaccine that are currently underway at Oxford’s Churchill Hospital.

William, 38, spoke to Professor Sarah Gilbert who developed the vaccine and the leader of the clinical trial team, Professor Andrew Pollard.

He also engaged with numerous others part of the trial including some of the 4,000 volunteers currently enrolled for the vaccine’s testing procedures.

William was also reported to have said that if the team manages to successfully develop a vaccine against the infectious disease, people would “breathe a huge sigh of relief.”

He added: "People want there to be some sort of finality to it."

Professor Gilbert responded to the prince's inquisition about how the team would feel if the vaccine proves to be unsuccessful, expressing hope that they would “see something.” She added, "The only question is how good it is and how long it will last.”

Professor Pollard also joined the discourse as he informed William: "It's success for the country and the world if these vaccines work, not for us."

The duke lauded the efforts of the experts during the meeting, as he said: "It's the most incredibly exciting and very welcome project that you're all doing which is why it's fascinating."