Duke 'emotional' as nurse recounts caring for dying girl

The Duke of Cambridge said he felt “emotional” speaking to a nurse who formed a bubble with the family of a terminally ill girl to protect them from coronavirus.

Jenny Manson told Prince William during a call last month how she cared for nine-year-old Holly Clarke at her home during the summer.

The 54-year-old from Kirkcudbright in Dumfries and Galloway decided to bubble with the family so parents Richard and Stevie Clarke, her twin sister Becca and older sister Emily could spend their last precious months with her before her death in October.

Ms Manson, a single mother herself to 16-year-old twin daughters, worked at the family’s home from May last year, to protect them from the risk of catching the virus.

Speaking about her call with William she said: “I’m just a little nurse who works in Scotland but for the duke to actually want to take time to talk to me it felt I was so privileged. I felt like my job and the role of the NHS was really being acknowledged.

“He was unbelievably genuine and sincere.”

She added: “He said as a father it made him feel quite emotional, the conversation we were having.

“He talked to me about when he was working as a helicopter pilot and how when he went to a child who had had a trauma or an accident that that used to be called really sad. He spoke about that a lot and he was just so sincere.”

The nurse went on to say: “He was really interested to know how I managed that situation and I told him that what I did was that I became part of that family’s bubble.

“I worked with them constantly really so it stopped other professionals having to go into the house, which the family really, really appreciated.”

It comes as Prince WIlliam paid tribute to the efforts of the NHS and its workers during the pandemic, describing the institution as “probably the most admired organisation around”.

Kensington Palace said that since the start of the year, the duke has spoken to more than 300 staff and volunteers spanning the breadth of the NHS workforce across the UK.

William’s office said he wanted to check in on the wellbeing of all those supporting the NHS, and to thank them for the vital part they are playing in the UK’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.