Members of The Royal Family mark International Nurses' Day

On the calls, Members of The Royal Family spoke with nurses about the work they are doing, with many talking about the impact of Covid-19 and how they were coping with the pandemic. On each call, members of The Royal Family reiterated their thanks to nurses across the Commonwealth for the incredible work they do on a daily basis. 

Nurses and midwives make up half the global health care workforce and play a critical role in health promotion, disease prevention and delivering primary community care.

The Royal Family have numerous nursing affiliations and patronages. Her Majesty The Queen has links – as Royal Patron or President – with over 600 charities which include the Canadian Nurses Association, Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps, Royal College of Nursing and The Queen’s Nursing Institute Scotland. On International Nurses’ Day Her Majesty The Queen spoke with Professor Kathleen McCourt, the President of the Commonwealth Nurses and Midwives Federation and Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing, of which The Queen is Patron.

The Duchess of Cornwall marked International Nurses’ Day by writing a letter of support to nurses supported by Ronald Dahl’s Marvellous Children Charity, of which Her Royal Highness became Patron of in 2017. The Prince of Wales has supported the vital work of our nurses too. In July 2019, His Royal Highness launched the Royal College of Nursing which gives young members of uniformed organisations an introduction to a potential career in nursing. Prior to that, in 2018, His Royal Highness also hosted a reception at Buckingham Palace to celebrate frontline nursing in the UK.

Last week, The Duke of Cambridge spoke to nurses at The Royal Marsden, of which he is President. The Duchess of Cambridge is Patron of Nursing Now, a global campaign to improve health by raising the status and profile of nursing. 

This week Nursing Now helped facilitate calls with The Duchess of Cambridge and The Countess of Wessex to nurses in seven different Commonwealth countries, including Aberdeen Women’s Centre (AWC) in Sierra Leone. In January, The Countess visited AWC in FreeTown to see how it supports children and adult survivors of gender-based violence.

Their Royal Highnesses also spoke nurses and medical staff in Queensland, Australia, India, Malawi, The Bahamas, Cyprus and The UK.

Over the weekend The Princess Royal called Tanzania to speak with the Programme Manager of a medical ship that provides facilities for those with little or no access to medical care, and is supported by the Vine Trust of which Her Royal Highness is Patron. Several of Her Royal Highness’s patronages focus on the support of vulnerable and isolated communities around the world, and nurses from organisations such as Save The Children, of which HRH has been President for 50 years, work to tackle issues from malnutrition to HIV, and educate communities on hygiene and disease prevention.

Princess Alexandra, The Queen’s cousin, spoke to the head of the Naval Nursing Service in her role as Patron of Queen Alexandra’s Royal Naval Nursing Service. Her Royal Highness has long held associations with numerous medical charities including The Florence Nightingale Foundation, St Christopher’s Hospice in Sydenham, Princess Mary’s Royal Air Force Nursing Service (PMRAFNS) and The British Red Cross Society. Since becoming Royal Patron of St Christopher’s Hospice in 1981, Princess Alexandra has visited every year since 1982 including in February 2020 to spend time with patients, their families and dedicated staff and volunteers.

Other members of the Royal Family such as The Duke and Duchess of Kent and The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester have proudly supported numerous medical charities such as the Royal Army Medical Corps, Medical Women's Federation, The Royal Society of Medicine and St Leonard's Hospice.