Duchess of Cornwall ‘missing her grandchildren’
THE Duchess of Cornwall said the hardest thing about being in self-isolation for two weeks was being unable to hug her grandchildren, as she took part in a telephone call to support elderly people living alone.
The Duchess, who has been isolating at Birkhall for 14 days after the Prince of Wales tested positive for coronavirus with mild symptoms, spoke to an 85-year-old lady about the pleasures of seeing their families via video calls, and losing themselves in an Agatha Christie novel.
In her role as president of the Royal Voluntary Service, the Duchess returned to work to send thanks to the 750,000 people who have signed up as volunteers to support the country. “Everyone working in the NHS is under unimaginable pressure,” she said. “I feel sure that the presence of so many wonderful volunteers will encourage, as well as support, them.”
As her own self-isolation, which kept her away from her children and grandchildren, came to an end, she spoke to Doris Winfield, 85, from Rickmansworth, who has spent the last two weeks alone.
Clarence House said the pair had spoken about how difficult it was to be separated from family, and how “being able to see them digitally helped enormously”. Mrs Winfield has three daughters who keep in regular contact, but lives alone and is said to miss her friends and her active social life.
She said of the Duchess: “I’ve been incredibly lonely over the last couple of weeks and it was wonderful to talk to her.”
In a message to Britain’s volunteers, the Duchess said: “As the proud president of the Royal Voluntary Service, I wanted to send my warmest thanks to all the NHS Volunteer Responders who have come forward in unprecedented numbers to offer help to the NHS.”