The Duchess of Cambridge stepped out in London on Friday after teasing royal fans with a video on the day of the publication of her Hold Still photography book.
Kate visited The Royal London Hospital and the National Portrait Gallery’s Archive, a year to the day since she launched the community project with the Gallery.
Kate visited the Royal London Hospital in east London to learn how Barts Health NHS Trust’s Vital Arts organisation commissions art for the Royal London and the trust’s other hospitals to improve the patient and staff experience.
She sat down with a range of staff to chat about their experiences during the pandemic and asked:
“How you all doing? I know hospitals are busy places but the extra pressure of Covid… How’s the mood now?”
She was told morale was good and was shown examples of photographs taken by staff from Barts Health NHS Trust to document this period in history.
The Duchess teamed up with The Book Fairies to mark the publication of Hold Still, a literary movement that urges readers to share books that they have read and enjoyed by leaving them in public spaces for others to find. In total, 150 copies of the book have been hidden in secret locations across the UK by the Hold Still judging panel.
The Duchess also saw Johannah Churchill’s framed picture entitled “Melanie, March 2020”, an image of her fellow nurse wearing personal protective equipment and helping to prepare a Covid-19 clinic for patients
Photo: © Getty Images
Looking at the portrait, she said: “It’s become really iconic, hasn’t it?
“Some of them had really powerful stories behind them and this one really stood out.
“I spoke to Johannah and she was so, ‘this is not about me, it’s about the people who I represent. She was so humble about it.”
