Prince William ‘gravely concerned’ at lack of support for NHS workers battling coronavirus as his charities offer help

PRINCE William has answered an SOS from NHS workers battling Covid-19 after being left “gravely concerned” by the lack of support some are receiving.

William last week ordered aides from his Royal Foundation to hold meetings with a number of charities representing frontline staff.

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His dramatic intervention comes amid growing criticism of the Government’s handling of the crisis.

And we can reveal that the future King has ordered his own charity-arm to come to the rescue by “urgently intensifying” the support they offer.

The Sun understands Wills, 37, is particularly worried about the mental strain many of those working for the NHS are currently suffering.

And both he and wife Kate, 38, are fearful many will need support in the future which is not currently on offer.

Yesterday a Royal source said: “There is a huge amount of work currently going on behind the scenes to support emergency workers which William and Kate are throwing their weight behind.

“Through their Royal Foundation, the Duke and Duchess had always planned to roll out additional support this year to 999 workers.

“But the current crisis has led to William and Kate telling their team to urgently intensify this work.

“Ideas being discussed include awarding grants to charities to enable them to roll out extra services. But William wants to go further. He is keen to try and connect the many different groups working in the field and pull them together under one umbrella through his Foundation.

“The Foundation has held urgent meetings with different organisations and William and Kate are asking to see a plan in place within weeks.”

Details of William’s move to support NHS workers comes after many spoke out during the past seven days about their lack of protective personal equipment.

Nursing unions and charities say the shortage has left the lives of staff at risk.

There has also been widespread criticism over the pace at which testing has been rolled out.

The delays have left hundreds of thousands of NHS workers unable to return to work which has placed greater strain on those in the service.

Healthcare charities have warned about the toll this is having on doctors and nurses battling the virus.

William and Kate have been front and centre in the Royal’s official response to the Covid-19 crisis.

Last week, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge launched a £5million scheme to help Britain's mental health charities during the coronavirus lockdown.

The couple are urging people to follow Public Health England's latest advice to stay in touch with loved ones via video calls and to start a new hobby.

They have also visited 111 workers, supported a Public Health England initiative and were last week seen offering words of comfort to the colleagues of Amged El-Hawrani - an NHS doctor who died from the virus.

And the Sun exclusively revealed last week Wills is eyeing a potential return to his role as an air ambulance pilot to further help in the fight against Covid-19.

Meanwhile, The Queen has thanked Brits and the NHS for their tireless efforts fighting the virus and promised better times are ahead.

Millions gathered around their TV sets today to hear Her Majesty deliver a stirring address to the nation in the face of the worsening coronavirus crisis.

The 93-year-old monarch, who is in isolation, directly thanked families for obeying stay-at-home guidance and hailed the incredible life-saving NHS heroes.

The Queen echoed WWII forces sweetheart Dame Vera Lynn as she promised those coping with forced separation from loved-ones "we will meet again".

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