Celebrity
Prince William visits hospital where Kate Middleton was born
The Prince of Wales visited a very special hospital in England overnight.
Prince William met workers at Royal Berkshire Hospital, which is the place his now wife was born on January 9, 1982, as Catherine Elizabeth Middleton, or Kate Middleton.
Now better known as Catherine, Princess of Wales, she famously met her prince at St Andrews University in her late teens.
Watch the video above.
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The couple tied the knot in 2011 and went on to welcome three kids of their own – Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six.
But Prince William’s visit to the hospital on Wednesday was unconnected to the mother of his children.
The Prince of Wales, who is joint royal patron of NHS Charities Together with his wife, met staff to hear about how COVID-19 funding helped with their facilities, now five years on from the start of the pandemic.
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The charity raised more than £160 million ($326 million) after launching an urgent appeal in March 2020 to support patients, hospital staff, and volunteers at the frontline of the crisis.
Royal Berkshire Hospital used its funding to create the Oasis Health and Wellbeing Centre and Garden, while its local NHS Foundation Trust also went on to develop one of the UK’s first long COVID clinics, part funded by NHS Charities Together.
Royal Berkshire Hospital is tragically where the UK’s first COVID-19 patient died in March 2020.
The trust lost two members of staff during the pandemic, Dr Peter Tun and nurse Julie Edward, and planted two trees in their honour in the new garden.
Prince William was given a tour of the garden and health and wellbeing centre, which provides a range of activities and services to promote staff health and well-being, including a free gym and classes.
The Prince of Wales met with staff who benefit from the space, as well as those who run the services they provide.
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The bearded royal was dressed with a hidden nod to healthcare workers in his ensemble, wearing a charcoal check suit with a blue shirt – the colour of the NHS.
William and Kate were seen wearing blue numerous times during the lockdown period, most notably in a televised “Clap for Our Carers”.
The weekly event took place around the UK at 8pm on a Thursday, when the country would pause to clap on the front lawn or out of windows for frontline workers.
The morale-boosting campaign during the UK’s lockdowns took place weekly from March 26 through to May 28, 2020.
In Kate’s post-cancer treatment video, the Prince and Princess of Wales were also both dressed in blue hues for the family-filled clip.
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