Prince William Visits Hospital Where Wife Kate Middleton Was Born to Showcase Healthcare Charity

Prince William has returned to the hospital where his wife Kate Middleton was born for a somber anniversary.

It is five years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Prince of Wales wanted to pay tribute to a health charity that helps staff and patients.

William, 42, visited the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, England, on March 5 to see the impact of the funds raised by NHS Charities Together, which kicked off an urgent appeal to cope with the enormous workload and necessary supplies required by frontline staff and volunteers back in 2020.

The hospital where Princess Kate, 43, was born in January 1982 is also the place where the U.K.’s first COVID-19 victim died in March 2020.

NHS Charities Together, of which William is a patron, raised more than $19 million (£15 million) in the first five days of its appeal that started in March 2020. It went on to bring in $200 million (£160 million ) to support patients, hospital staff and volunteers on the frontline of the health crisis.

William’s office at Kensington Palace said the funds are thought to have helped nearly two thirds of NHS staff with counseling, rest areas and projects in the community.

The Prince and Princess of Wales last visited the hospital in December 2020 during a 1,250-mile trip around the U.K. to check in with different communities as each area faced the unprecedented crisis.

An overwhelming 90 percent of the projects are continuing in hospitals like the Royal Berkshire, including the Oasis Health and Wellbeing Centre and Garden which was set up there.

William used his time at the hospital on March 5 to tour the center and its garden and see the range of activities that help staff with their own health and mental health. He met some of those who have been using the wellbeing center and open green space, as well as staff who were working at the hospital during the pandemic.

During his royal visit, William also saw some poignant reminders of the human cost of the pandemic. Two of the health trust’s members of staff, Dr. Peter Tun and nurse Julie Edward, died during the crisis and trees have been planted in the garden in their memory.

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NHS Charities Together, of which Kate is also a patron, also went on to part-fund one of the country’s first Long Covid Clinics, which look to help those suffering with the long-term effects of the disease.