The shock of a lifetime! Duchess Kate paid a virtual visit to parents Rebecca Attwood and John Gill and their newborn son, Max, in a surprise video call.
The Duchess of Cambridge, 38, spoke with the new family of three on Saturday, May 2, just 16 hours after Max was born in Kingston Hospital in London. Kate previously volunteered at the same hospital in November 2019.
“Very nice to meet you,” Kate said via video conference from her home at Anmer Hall in Norfolk. “This is definitely a first. Well, firstly, huge congratulations. Is it a little boy or a little girl?” When she learned it is a boy, Kate responded, “He’s so sweet. Congratulations!”
The duchess also spoke with midwives and medical staff in the maternity ward of the hospital ahead of the United Kingdom’s Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week, which starts May 4.
Kate asked the staff if they had noticed any changes in the ward amid the coronavirus pandemic. “Are you very aware of a difference, or a shift in a mother’s emotional and mental wellbeing in comparison to before the pandemic?” she asked, to which staff members replied that there is “a lot more anxiety.”
The royal closed out the call by thanking the medical staff for their hard work during the pandemic.
“Babies come all the time so that fact that you’re having to work in these difficult times, so well done,” she said.
Kate and her husband, Prince William, have been doing their part to help those in need amid the coronavirus outbreak — and they’ve even gotten their children involved. The Kensington Palace Instagram revealed on Friday, May 1, that the royal couple had taken their daughter, Princess Charlotte, to deliver food packages to those in need ahead of her 5th birthday. Kate and the Duke of Cambridge, 37, are also the parents of sons Prince George, 6, and Prince Louis, 2.
In March, Kate and William reminded people to prioritize their mental health while social distancing.
“The last few weeks have been anxious and unsettling for everyone,” the pair wrote in a joint statement via Instagram. “We have to take time to support each other and find ways to look after our mental health. It is great to see the mental health sector working together with the NHS to help people keep on top of their mental well-being. By pulling together and taking simple steps each day, we can all be better prepared for the times ahead.”
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