The Duchess of Cornwall visited a London hospital on International Nurses Day to thank the nursing staff working for Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity.
Camilla’s visit to the Whittington Hospital began with a tour of the facilities and meeting the new nurses and nurse associates hired on staff. She also met with representatives from various departments that have been at the forefront of the coronavirus pandemic, including those from the ICU.
Camilla also took time to meet with Felicity Dahl, the widow of Roald Dahl, who set up the Children’s Charity in 1990 following her husband’s death. The Children’s Charity currently employs 80 specialist nurses who care for over 21,000 seriously ill children across the United Kingdom.
The children supported by these specialist nurses often live with “complex, lifelong illnesses that are under-funded, under-resourced and under-recognised including rare diseases, sickle cell anaemia, neuromuscular conditions and epilepsy,” per Clarence House, and their entire families receive support as they receive treatment.
Camilla also met with patients supported by a Roald Dahl nurse, as well as their family members. All of the young people receiving support at the hospital are being treated for blood conditions.
The Roald Dahl nurse, Edith Aimiuwu, later said, “It was a privilege to be thanked by Her Royal Highness particularly after such a challenging year. Complex blood conditions like sickle cell anaemia have a profound effect on the day to day lives of these children and young people. We have worked hard to ensure they could continue to get the care they need, safely but they have had an incredibly tough time during the pandemic and this visit was really special for them.”
To symbolise the relationship between the Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity and the Whittington Hospital, Camilla helped plant new Nye Bevan and Roald Dahl roses in the Hospital’s garden.
“I’m honoured that we are able to mark this year’s International Nurses’ Day with a visit from HRH The Duchess of Cornwall who has been able to meet just some of the fantastic nursing staff that we have here in the hospital and out in the community,” said Baroness Neuberger, Chair of the Whittington Health NHS Trust
“Whenever I have the great pleasure of meeting Roald Dahl Specialist Nurses, I am always struck by your kindness, resourcefulness and boundless energy; and never fail to be moved by the stories of the lives you have touched,” Camilla was quoted in a tweet on the Clarence House Twitter account.
“Thank you for being marvellous.”
Camilla has been patron of the Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity since 2017, and invites young people receiving treatment from the nurses to Clarence House every Christmas to decorate her Christmas tree.
