The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have told colleagues of the first Brit doctor to die from coronavirus that they and the whole country feel immense pride in them.
Prince William and wife Kate phoned staff at the Queen’s Hospital in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, to offer their condolences over the passing of hero medic Amged El-Hawrani.
The NHS consultant, who contracted Covid-19 on the front line of the battle against it, died in hospital on Saturday at the age of just 55.
His loved ones remembered him as a dedicated professional and family man.
William, 37, told a small group of doctors and nurses at the Midlands hospital: “We would 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.
“The whole country is proud of you so thank you for everything you’re doing and all the hours you are putting in.”
Mr Hawrani’s colleague and fellow ENT consultant Adrian Thompson said: “Their Royal Highnesses were very empathetic in offering their condolences
and they were really sorry to hear we had lost a colleague.”
Alice Bloxham, a sister on Queen’s Hospital’s Covid-19 cohort ward, said: “This has been a difficult time.
“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.”
Their tribute came as the Queen thanked the Armed Forces for helping to build London’s new 4,000-bed coronavirus hospital, the NHS Nightingale.
Military personnel have been flat-out on 15-hour shifts to transform London’s ExCel convention centre into a hospital.
In a message on Twitter, Buckingham Palace said: “Thank you to all those working hard to complete NightingaleLDN Hospital, which will open this week to support patients with coronavirus.”
As the country prepares for the epidemic to peak, William and Kate also vowed to “work out ways to help when the time is right”.
Days before the Government-ordered lockdown they visited a London ambulance service call centre in South London.
They also released an emotional video last Thursday showing Prince George, six, Princess Charlotte, four, and Prince Louis, one, applauding NHS staff.
The family joined the rest of the nation last night to again applaud NHS heroes and other key workers.
The royal couple also spoke to staff at University Hospital Monklands near Glasgow on Wednesday.
Caring Kate, 38, told them: “You’re stretched in all sorts of ways looking after the patients in your care under such extreme circumstances.
“But you also need to…. make sure you support yourselves, and each other.”
Describing the royal contact as a “morale boost” for staff, Donna Marie McGroarty, infectious diseases nurse
at the hospital, said: “It has been a tough time for all our staff – however the support that we have received from our colleagues and the community has been overwhelming.
“The telephone call from The Duke and Duchess was totally unexpected and a real morale boost.”
The conference calls came hours after Prince Charles on Wednesday delivered a video message to the nation, praising the “remarkable NHS”.
On Monday the 71-year-old was allowed to end his seven-day isolation after contracting Covid-19. Speaking from his Birkhall residence in Scotland, he added: “None of us can say when this will end – but end it will.
“Until it does, let us all try and live with hope and, with faith in ourselves and each other, look forward to better times to come.”
A royal source said: “The whole family has immense pride in our NHS.”
