The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge joined the veteran ITV presenter Kate Garraway for this year’s The Mirror’s Pride of Britain Awards. The awards recognize the remarkable people across the UK who are working hard to make the world a better place. And 2020 had been a very difficult year but people from all corners of life have come to the front and help the community survive a difficult time.
Among those remarkable people is the NHS workers who are fighting the COVID-19 pandemic at the front line. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge talked about the front line workers during the Pride of Britain awards and praised the bravery and selflessness shown by the front line workers. Prince William and Catherine were seen last week at the shoot of the award ceremony. The awards were broadcasted this Sunday at 9:00 PM on ITV.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge presented the Pride of Britain award, on behalf of the nation, to the NHS frontline heroes who were in the front row in the battle against coronavirus. They met six representatives of the NHS to discuss their work during the pandemic and to present them with the special recognition award.
William told them, “We cannot thank you enough. On behalf of a grateful nation, it is a tremendous honour for Catherine and I to present this special recognition award to the army of dedicated NHS staff.“
The winners of the award are chosen from the nominations made by the public. The nominations come from all walk of life. This year thousands of public members nominated NHS works who won the award. From Pride of Britain,
Nominated by the public, the winners are from all walks of life, of all ages, and from all over the country. Their achievements are awe-inspiring and a lesson to us all. They say they are ordinary people, but their acts are truly extraordinary. Since the first Pride of Britain in 1999, royalty, prime ministers, and hundreds of leading figures from showbusiness, sport, politics and the arts have all taken part. Hosted by Carol Vorderman, the Awards attract an audience of around five million viewers every year in a primetime slot on ITV – making it the highest-rated awards show of its kind on British television.
Praising the Frontline Workers, The Duchess of Cambridge said,
Through our conversations with frontline workers during the pandemic, we have been inspired by their stories of bravery and selflessness. Many have had to leave their families for weeks on end, some have come out of retirement to help, while others have stepped into new roles to play their part in the fight against coronavirus. It is not just the medical teams; all NHS staff have played a crucial role through this time. During the lockdown, we joined people up and down the country to applaud the NHS and our key workers each week. Their hard work still goes on and we remain indebted to them for all they do.
The devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic has reminded us as a nation of how much we owe to the thousands of NHS workers who have gone far beyond the call of duty this year. They have worked tirelessly around the clock, with humility and compassion, in the most challenging of circumstances, putting their own lives on the line to help others. It is fitting that we are here today at Britain’s oldest hospital to thank and celebrate our NHS staff and to honour them with a Pride of Britain award.
Kate Garraway introduced the royal couple to the six NHS representatives who each talked to them about the challenges they and the heath service have faced in fighting coronavirus.
The six representatives were (from Barts Health Trust) Keisha Mills, an intensive care matron, Marion Jones, a health care assistant, and Dr Simon Finney, an intensive care consultant, and (from the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust) Heder Lopes Landim, a porter at Barnet Hospital; Martha Sarpong, an ITU support nurse, and Charlotte Greenfield, a critical care physio.
Martha Sarpong, an ITU support nurse who was redeployed to Barnet Hospital, said: ‘I have three young children and Kate asked me: “How do you cope with the homeschooling?” I said: ‘Thank God my husband is a teacher. They were asking how we were coping generally with Covid and we explained what we did and how our managers supported us.’
Charlotte Greenfield, a critical care physiotherapist at London’s Royal Free Hospital, which was one of the busiest hospitals in the country during the national lockdown, commented: ‘It’s incredibly flattering to be one of the people to receive the Pride of Britain award on behalf of the NHS.
‘What was really nice was that the Duke and Duchess were asking us questions, they were genuinely interested. ‘I don’t think Prince William knew there was a different branch of physiotherapy in terms of respiratory, so I was explaining to him. I educated him a little on my role. I explained exactly how it had been. I kept using the word sweaty to him, but it really was. ‘They were absolutely lovely and kept asking genuine questions.’
During the shoot last week, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge also talked to Kate Garraway whose husband, Derek, remains hospitalized due to the Coronavirus since March this year. Kate told them about the difficulties her family has been facing since then. From Mirror’s report,
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were visibly moved as the Good Morning Britain host told how husband Derek is still seriously ill in hospital seven months after being struck down with coronavirus. They listened intently as she discussed the impact that the disease has had on her family and how their children Darcey, 14, and Billy, 11, are still not allowed to see him because covid rules only allow one visitor is allowed for each patient.
William said: “You are doing amazingly though. If it wasn’t for social distancing we would both give you a hug.”
As they met the TV presenter, who was there to introduce them to NHS representatives for the show, the Duchess of Cambridge told her: “I think you’re amazing to do this as I know you’ve had such a hard time yourself.” The Duchess asked how the family were coping under the stress.
The 53-year-old presenter, who has returned to work to try to keep life as normal as possible, replied: “I think we are all doing OK but it’s very difficult because you can’t visit that often and the children haven’t got to visit Derek. And I think that’s huge pressure for everyone – mental and physical health.”
For the day, The Duchess of Cambridge was looking very professional in a navy suit.
The Duchess wore her Smythe Duchess Wool Blazer The blazer has been a staple in Catherine’s wardrobe since 2010. She owns it on other shades too.
Middleton Maven on Twitter suggested that Catherine might be wearing this Max Mara Wool Twill Wide Leg Pants.
Underneath the blazer, The Duchess of Cambridge was wearing Lisou Betty Blue Rainbow Print Silk Shirt. Thanks to Emily Collins on Twitter for the id.
The Duchess was wearing her Spells of Love Alia Hoops
She also wore Amaia Kids Adult Reusable cotton face mask – Yellow Pepper
