The Prince and Princess of Wales were urged to “keep going” on Thursday as they made their first public appearance since the publication of Prince Harry’s memoir.
The couple – who remained tight-lipped over the book’s explosive revelations – visited the new Royal Liverpool University Hospital just days after the Duke of Sussex laid bare the intimate details of several run-ins with the couple, including a physical fight with Prince William.
As they got out of their car on arrival at the hospital, someone shouted: “Were you hurt by the comments in Harry’s book?” But there was no response, and it was unclear whether the couple heard.
Among the crowds clamouring to shake their hands inside was patient Sylvia Staniford, 81, who gripped Prince William’s hand tightly and said: “Keep going, keep going. Scousers love you. William smiled and replied: “Yes, I will.”
Mrs Staniford said afterwards: “Of course that was a reference to Harry. He knew what I was talking about.”
The Prince and Princess were greeted by cheers from hundreds of staff and patients who crowded into the atrium and onto balconies to catch a glimpse of the royal visitors.
They posed for selfies, stroked Rosie the therapy dog and asked nurses and healthcare workers how they were coping, urging them to look after themselves and thanking them for the “fantastic” jobs they were doing.
The hospital is the biggest in the country to provide all inpatients with single en-suite bedrooms. Opened last October, it has 640 beds, including 40 critical care beds, and also hosts a number of specialist services.
The Prince and Princess visited the critical care ward to see the state-of-the-art facilities, talking to medical and support staff.
After removing their coats and sanitising their hands, they were greeted on the ward by matron Julie Patrick-Heselton and clinical lead Dr Laurence McCrossan.
William asked whether they were very busy and had experienced particular difficulties with winter flu, while the Princess wanted to know whether they were still seeing pressures from the pandemic or were now facing different problems.
The patients on the ward were too ill to be introduced to the couple, but they popped briefly into one room to speak to two members of staff caring for a female patient.
One of them, Anna O’Hara, a healthcare assistant asked if they would pose for selfies. She said afterwards: “They are so kind to people like us. I asked if I could have a picture. She is so pretty, so sexy.”
Among the staff were several members of the critical care team William had met when he took part in a surprise video call during the Covid pandemic in June 2020.
“Did I see some of you on a call three years ago?” he asked. “It’s good to see you again.”
He admired a large photograph of the team during the Zoom call and asked whether all the staff were still working at the hospital. He was told they were, but that some were now in different departments.
The Princess asked staff: “How has the new building been? Has it made your jobs easier?” She thanked them for their work, adding: “I can imagine how hard it gets.”
The Prince asked a student how long it had taken her to get to this point in their training and whether she felt daunted about the next step. “You’re joining a very good team,” he said.
Before leaving the ward, he raised a laugh as he turned and told the staff: “You will have to look after yourselves. Promise? Promise?”
The Princess said: “It’s a big hospital isn’t it. Lots of patients,” while William asked several staff how they were finding their way around the new building, joking that they would need to carry maps.
“So many hospital corridors look the same, don’t they?” he joked.
Introduced to Gill Dumbell, a catering supervisor, he said: “You guys are the most important people in the hospital. Nothing happens without the food going round. It’s crucial.”
The Princess asked whether patients got to choose what they ate, adding: “When you’re unwell, what you want to eat is different, isn’t it?” William joked: “Are chips OK?” He was told the hospital did indeed serve fish and chips.
Back downstairs in the atrium, the couple shook scores of hands and received cheers as they travelled down escalators.
They appeared delighted to be introduced to Rosie the therapy dog and her owner, Jim Moubray, 72, a volunteer, who takes the golden retriever around the hospital to meet staff and patients.
“I’m just the human at the end of the lead,” Mr Moubray joked, telling the royals how Rosie makes people’s faces light up.
The Princess was given a bouquet by volunteer Marjorie Jenkins and the couple then posed for photos, shaking hands with staff and thanking them before making their way through the crowds to the exit.
King Charles was also all smiles during an engagement in Scotland, appearing relaxed and brushing off the family drama. The furore over Spare is understood to have been firmly off limits for the charity workers and volunteers he met.
The King, 74, wearing a Hunter’s Tartan kilt, toured the Aboyne and District Men’s Shed, which boasts a workshop and community space and is a 20-minute drive from Balmoral.
The monarch admired wood and stone carvings made by elderly gentlemen who meet up three times a week to stave off loneliness.
He showed enormous interest in a 1920s post box with a GR insignia from King George V, pointing at it in delight and saying: “He’s my great-grandfather.”