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The Princess of Wales praised the “amazing work” of the NHS as she made a surprise appearance the day before her birthday by joining the Prince of Wales on a visit to a hospital in London.
Catherine accompanied her husband, who was originally due to attend solo, at Charing Cross Hospital on Thursday for their first public engagement of 2026.
The princess, who turns 44 on Friday, “wanted to join her husband to show her support for the NHS and to thank the teams at Charing Cross for their efforts” over a difficult winter period, Kensington Palace said.
It comes just days from the first anniversary of the princess’s announcement at the start of 2025 that she was in remission from cancer.
In a conversation with the volunteers, who were from Imperial Health Charity, Catherine spoke about how their work can sometimes go “unrecognised”.
She said: “Sometimes the skills, the soft skills, the empathy and compassion, the kindness, goes beyond any job description.
“And it makes such a difference to patients and it often goes unrecognised.”
Volunteer Maureen Gilmour, who works with people going through chemotherapy, spoke to the royal couple about her role.
Referring to patients and visitors, she told the couple: “People will sit there for hours.”
In response, the princess said “I know” before touching William’s shoulder and saying “you know”.
PA MediaWilliam and Catherine are joint patrons of NHS Charities Together, and the Palace said the engagement took place to “acknowledge the incredible work of NHS staff over a difficult winter period”.
The couple surprised healthcare staff on their tea break and chatted to them about the pressures they faced during the winter virus season.
Staff were gathered in a break room paid for by Imperial Health Charity, which is a member of the umbrella organisation NHS Charities Together, and supports all five of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust’s hospitals through grants, arts and volunteering.
William and Catherine went on to join a roundtable with NHS charity chief executives, trustees, policymakers and philanthropists to discuss the role of philanthropy in the NHS.
The couple became patrons of NHS Charities Together in 2020 at the height of the Covid pandemic.
The organisation represents more than 220 NHS charities from all NHS Trusts and Health Boards across the UK.
