The Prince and Princess of Wales surprised staff at London's St Thomas' Hospital with a special tea party to celebrate the 70th birthday of the National Health Service. The visit took place in May with details kept under wraps and released to coincide with the July 5th anniversary date.
The news comes after a packed day of courtside action, which saw the Princess in a Balmain blazer, cheering on the very best of British talent and reuniting with Roger Federer in the Royal Box. Catch up on all the action by clicking here.
The tea party was hosted in cooperation with William and Kate's patronage NHS Charities Together. The organisation is the national charity partner of the NHS and is made up of 240 NHS charity members based in hospitals, mental health, ambulance, community health services and health boards across the UK.
They spent time with an array of inspiring people including three generations of NHS workers from the same family. The family matriarch, grandmother Blanche Hines, was part of the Windrush generation.
They also met Aneira ' Nye' Thomas, the first baby born on the NHS (and named after NHS founder Aneurin Bevan). Below, a lovely video.
In addition to putting the finishing touches to cupcakes, the Mirror reports William was asked a rather divisive question pertaining to scones. Jam or Cream first? He replied: "Whatever is closest." Kate does jam then cream.
I can’t believe The Princess of Wales does this… lost faith in you now, Cath 😔 pic.twitter.com/JP5UOyOSic
— Charlie ♔ (@notaroyalexpert) July 4, 2023
NHS England boss Amanda Pritchard said: "While many things have changed over the last 75 years, the skill and compassion of NHS staff who care for our patients and their families has always remained constant. They face enormous challenges: recovering services, addressing Covid backlogs that inevitably built up over the pandemic and dealing with record demand for services. This milestone 75th anniversary is an opportunity for us to reflect on their hard work and our achievements but to look to the future of the health service too.”
'William concluded the visit with a video message for the entire NHS: “Wishing everyone a very happy 75th birthday for the NHS. Thank you so much for all you do.”
Ellie Orton OBE, Chief Executive of NHS Charities Together, said: “We want to say a huge thank you to our Royal Patrons, and everyone who’s helped celebrate the 75th anniversary of our beloved NHS this year.”'
You'll note from the photos William and Kate were joined by former host -- and one half of the funniest duos in my opinion -- Sue Giedroyc. Sue is an ambassador for the NHS Big Tea and said: “As someone who is a dedicated fan of the NHS, I say let the good people of Britain come together on 5th July and eat cake for a cause! One of my career highlights was being up close with baked goods (and Mary Berry) in the Bake-Off tent, and I’m excited to relive those days by doing my bit for the NHS Big Tea – so please watch this space. In the meantime, I urge you to put your baking skills to good use and help our brilliant NHS go further, by raising some dough for NHS charities.”
More on tomorrow's celebrations from the NHS: "5 July 2023 marks 75 years of the National Health Service. Treating over a million people a day in England, the NHS touches all of our lives. When it was founded in 1948, the NHS was the first universal health system to be available to all, free at the point of delivery. Today, nine in 10 people agree that healthcare should be free of charge, more than four in five agree that care should be available to everyone, and that the NHS makes them most proud to be British."
We've been talking about Kate shopping her Wimbledon wardrobe... Well, she's done it again, choosing a bright blue polka dot Alessandra Rich dress she wore to the tournament last year -- exactly one year ago tomorrow. For the tennis outing, Kate teamed it with two tone Alessandra Rich shoes, Finlay London Henrietta sunglasses, In2Design pearls and her Mulberry Amberley bag.
Below, the Azure pleated embellished polka-dot, silk crepe de chine midi dress.
This time, Kate accessorised with her Heavenly London pearls. The £90 pair remain available here. They are described as a "classic" and are: "Crafted to a standard of quality, the reconstituted pearl and diamond look-alike stones create an heirloom-like appearance. An elegant and sophisticated choice that won't go unnoticed."
A reminder: the Scottish service marking the Coronation is due to begin at 2 pm. I'm expecting William and Kate to have additional engagements in Edinburgh, too.
I just saw this on the news. Thanks Charlotte because I thought they had did a visit before heading to Scotland and after the tennis today. A lovely rewear. The Princess looked beautiful. They did a great job with the cakes. S.🙂.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday to the NHS -- long may it endure. I know it's had its problems in recent years, but I've been advocating for a national health system in the US since I was an undergraduate, so I've always envied the British this particular social service. Sorting out the medical bills after my mother's death in January only deepened my resolve to keep battling for one of our own. I'm heartened that more and more Americans are coming around to my point of view every year.
ReplyDeleteAlessandra Rich clothing is beautifully made, and I really admire the design of this dress (well, maybe not the puffy shoulders), but all the polka dots the Princess wears are driving me -- dare I say, "dotty"? On the other hand, that's a delicious blue, though I haven't quite decided which shade of blue it is. I'm working on it.
You gave me a laugh with your "dotty" comment, Vittoria! 😀 I'm not a fan of polka dots either (the last time I wore them was probably when I was five), but I don't mind them on Kate. And I really like that she wore the dress from 5 July 2022 for a video which celebrates the NHS's anniversary on 5 July 2023. :)
DeleteI enjoyed watching the video and reading about the whole event. Thank you, Charlotte! Looking forward to later today. Zora from Prague
I also laughed at the "dotty" comment! She is such a diplomatic dresser - wearing the NHS colors. I think she was wearing white pumps (!) which I know some commenters do not approve of!
DeleteWhat a lovely event. I loved the video!
ReplyDeleteI love this dress- the color and style. What a delightful video. Thanks Charlotte, looking forward to tomorrow! Sue from IL
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday NHS and congratulations to the people of the UK for managing through 75 years of upheaval and change to create a Public Health Service of which they can be justly proud. Years ago, I had the good fortune to be treated under the Danish and Canadian public health care systems. Here in the US, our broken system is groaning under the strain of the pandemic, aging and burnt-out health care workers retiring or quitting, a shortage of nurses, high costs/profits, a complex patchwork of systems, doctors who spend more time staring at computer screens than looking at their patients. We still haven't got it figured out here. When I recently asked a radiologist why it had taken six weeks to get an appointment for a biopsy to rule out cancer (which then took me four months to pay off under insurance that costs me over $550/month in premiums even with subsidies), she looked me square in the eye and said simply, and wearily, "because our health care system is broken."
ReplyDeleteI hope your biopsy went well. It sounds terribly stressful to navigate the system especially when you've got the fear of a potential cancer diagnosis hanging over you.
DeleteHappy Birthday to the NHS --what i lovely surprise from wales
ReplyDeleteKate looking lovely today in one of my preferred AR dresses. It's fun to see Kate and Will's banter they are fun together. Sue in WA
ReplyDeleteFor me, there's no such thing as too many polka dots and this is my favourite Alessandra Rich dress. I think she looks great.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very pretty dress, lovely to see a rewear. The video was fabulous, thank you.
ReplyDeleteI am very impressed by Kate's workload these days.
ReplyDeleteAs for the white pumps, ugh. I still haven't come to terms with the fact that they are the new nude pumps and I might have to get them as well, LOL. The engagement seems lovely. I for one am loving Kate in long hair so I have been delighted with her hair lately.
Does anybody else find the whole Wimbledon repeating thing very odd? It became a little weird to me after 2 recycled pieces but now it is really quite bizarre. Even though I like the clorhing and I love repeats, there is something odd, even parodic to me about recycling the same pieces around the same time just a year later.
Ella
I am curious about her wardrobe selection process. I’ve always imagined she has a conveyor belt in her gigantic closet, with her clothes sorted by type, color and season, and is able to spin through the options. With this current pattern of Wimbledon repeats, it’s almost as if the belt got stuck in the one spot reserved for “Wimbledon”.
DeleteI do not find it odd. Those dresses are summer wear for her and it is summer again. Also, I would assume she chose this particular dress because it ties into the blue and white color theme with the logo and event.
DeleteAs for the white shoes, I personally would not wear them because I am extremely hard on my clothes so white anything gets soiled and worn. But it is also a summer color and goes nicely with the blue and white dress. She clearly can't win, people constantly harped on the nude colored neutral shoes she wore previously and now most people are moaning about the white.
She looks fresh and appropriate for a summer outing.
Border Terrier lover
Border Terrier lover, I never once criticised Kate for nude shoes. I am a HUGE fan with quite an extensive collection of nude flats, wedges and high heeled pumps. I don't care for white pumps just yet but it is to be expected that they become the "new nude" in a bit as many women follow Kate's fashion choices. Which means that I am probably getting a pair as well sooner or later.
DeleteAs for the repeats, it seems odd because Kate has many many more summer dresses than just those recently worn for Wimbledon (so precisely a year ago). This is not a coincidence as we just know that there are no coincidences in Kate's fashion. It is highly unlikely that Kate just pulled three Wimbledon dresses out from her closet randomly, just because they are summer dresses. With the first one I was like "so good she wants to draw attention to her beloved Wimbledon!". At nr 2, I was slightly puzzled and at nr 3 I was, as the youth says, cringing hard. It is overkill for me. I understand the opinions on this can differ, but for mee it is a tad too much.
As mentioned before, i love Kate working, being out and about and this is just a minor quibble for sake of the always insightful discussion here.
Ella
The blue color is nice for summer but dying again with the white shoes. She has a history of well worn favorites…nude LKB sledges, black suede knee high boots…and it seems these white pumps are the new favorites!
ReplyDeleteIt's Mel Giedroyc - Sue Perkins is the other half of the duo.
ReplyDeleteLovely to see another Wimbledon rewear. I'm a huge fan of polka dots and turquoise, so this gets an upvote from me!
ReplyDeleteAlso lovely to see a pre-recorded event, showing that often they are doing things behind the scenes when we don't see them out and about.
This is a very elegant dress and a nice choice for the event. I'd like a slightly shorter hemline and a different belt, personally.
ReplyDeleteNow, this is a lovely dress. I admit I am a bit tired of all those blazers and very happy to see her in a flattering dress, dots included.
ReplyDelete