Prince William, Kate Middleton call frontline doctors, nurses at hospitals fighting coronavirus
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Prince William and Kate Middleton made their royal rounds this week while staying socially distant in their day-to-day efforts to support those fighting in the thick of the coronavirus pandemic.
The royal couple made a phone call on Wednesday to Queen’s Hospital Burton, the workplace where Amged El-Hawrani, 55, the first doctor in the United Kingdom to die from COVID-19, diligently worked to treat those who had contracted the novel virus.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}El-Hawrani -- an ear, nose and throat consultant -- died last week, and William and Middleton wasted no time reaching out to the hospital to share their deepest condolences and thanked the health care professionals on the call for their bravery and hard work during the outbreak.
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“We’d just like to say from the two of us how proud we are of all of you and how amazingly you are all doing under extreme circumstances,” William told doctors and nurses at the Burton hospital, according to a statement from Kensington Palace.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“I know all of you see this as your job and that you get on with it, but this is a different level and you are doing an incredible job. The whole country is proud of you so thank you for everything you’re doing and all the hours you are putting in.”
In a snippet of conversations had between the pair and hospital staff from another hospital, University Hospital Monklands in North Lanarkshire, Middleton empathized with the predicament they have since found themselves in.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“You’re stretched in all sorts of ways looking after the patients in your care under such extreme circumstances,” she said. “But you also need to be able to make sure you support yourselves and each other. It must be so hard but I’m glad to hear that you’re currently getting all the support you need.”
The pair reportedly placed their conference calls from their home in Norfolk, Anmer Hall, where they’re currently holed up with their three children.
During the call with Queen’s Hospital, Alice Bloxhom, a sister on the COVID-19 cohort ward, told Town & Country: “Until recently our ward was an Acute Care of the Elderly ward, but now we are caring for patients with COVID-19. This has been a difficult time for all the patients we care for and for the staff working in a very different environment.”
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She continued: “It was a pleasure to talk to the Duke and Duchess and to be able to explain some of the challenges we face for our patients. Everyone at the hospital appreciates the support they gave us on the call.”
Meanwhile, Donna Marie McGroarty, an infectious diseases charge nurse from the Monklands Hospital, said the phone call was “totally unexpected and a real morale boost.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“It has been a tough time for all our staff. However, the support we have received from colleagues and the community has been overwhelming,” she said.
On Monday, it was revealed that William’s father, Prince Charles, who is first in line to the British throne, was no longer in self-isolation after contracting the virus.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Clarence House has confirmed today that, having consulted with his doctor, The Prince of Wales is now out of self-isolation,” a representative told Fox News in an emailed statement.
His wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, 72, tested negative. However, Reuters reported that Camilla will remain in self-isolation away from Charles until the end of the week in case she, too, starts to develop symptoms.
Fox News’ Stephanie Nolasco contributed to this report.