London — Last month, five-year-old Princess Charlotte was spotted sending out packages of pasta she cooked at home with her parents Prince William and Kate Middleton. Her brothers, six-year-old Prince George and two-year-old Prince Louis, are said to have helped her prepare the food.
Now, Prince William and Kate Middleton have announced that they have been doing volunteer work secretly throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. Middleton is now an NHS Volunteer responder together with the Duchess of Cornwall, Countess of Wessex and Duchess of Gloucester. They have been making calls to people in quarantine.
One of her calls was to 42-year-old Donna Williams, a mother of two, whose daughter Alessandra has a rare form of Type 1 Diabetes.
The prince is in charge of the 2,000 volunteers handling the Shout85258 text messaging service providing free mental health support. He had announced plans to train for the part on a visit to Devon last September. His exact role was, however, not announced at that time.
In a video call on May 15 to Shout volunteers, the prince said that he was a volunteer on the platform. One of the callers, Jo Irwin, said that it was amazing.
The video call was aired by Kensington Palace to mark Volunteer Week, which takes place from June 1 to 7 every year. Royal help verified that the prince had finished his 25 hours of training to help with troubleshooting. The royal couple thanked volunteers who are working to help their communities in West Yorkshire and Wales.
They joked about the ups and downs of home schooling their children during a call to Conscious Youth, which supports youths from black and other ethnic minority backgrounds in Huddersfield, Dewsbury and other parts of the Kirklees.
Middleton said that the world would be a better place if there were more people like 16-year-old Cain Adams, who started out by offering to play chess with children, because they are giving so much back, not just to youths but the community. The prince chipped in, saying that it brightened their day seeing all of them.
The royal couple also talked to volunteers from Machynlleth Community Corona Response, in Powys, mid Wales. Its 100 members aid impoverished people with shopping and cooking and by manning a telephone helpline. Some volunteers have created 3-D printed visors, scrubs and face masks for health workers while others are growing produce for meals.
Middleton said that one of the things that would be amazing would be if everyone in their communities continue to volunteer in the way that they had been during the pandemic. The prince added his gratitude for all the volunteer work being done because it had been a lifeline to people in the area. /TISG