Children’s nurses thanked by Queen Camilla in royal visit

The Queen, alongside BBC presenter Alex Jones, visited The Royal London Hospital in London to meet 11 Roald Dahl specialist children’s nurses.

“We are thrilled to have welcomed her majesty the Queen today to meet our Roald Dahl nurse specialists”

Caroline Alexander

These nurses, of whom there are now more than 150 in the UK, are part of a network run by Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity.

As royal patron of the charity, the Queen met and thanked the nurses as well as spoke with families under their care at the hospital, which is part of Barts Health NHS Trust.

Louise Griew, chief executive of the charity, said she was grateful for Ms Jones and the Queen’s visit to the nurses, and said: “International Nurses’ Day is the perfect time to honour our nurses.”

The visit came as the charity continues to try and raise £1m via its Fund a Nurse appeal, which aims to fund more Roald Dahl nurses to work with children with medically complex conditions.

Ms Griew added: “Every seriously ill child deserves a Roald Dahl nurse and together we can make a real difference, so we hope that people will donate to our Fund a Nurse appeal in honour of International Nurses Day, to help us establish more Roald Dahl nurses to provide their vital care.”

Also at the event was England’s chief nursing officer Dame Ruth May, who said it was an “honour” to meet with the Queen and added: “Thank you to all our Roald Dahl nurses who use their expertise and compassion to provide invaluable care and support to so many children and their families.”

Speaking on Sunday, Caroline Alexander, Barts Health chief nurse, said: “We are thrilled to have welcomed her majesty the Queen today to meet our Roald Dahl nurse specialists.

“These highly trained nurses provide enhanced support for our young patients with highly complex conditions and their families.

“The support of the Roald Dahl Marvellous Children’s Charity in raising the funds to establish these posts is hugely appreciated by us at Barts Health.

“International Nurses Day is a wonderful opportunity to recognise their invaluable contribution, along with all our nurses in every department here at the Royal London, and across Barts Health and the NHS.”

As well as the Queen’s visit to nurses over the weekend, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) announced that King Charles III had given his patronage to the union – something his late mother Queen Elizabeth II had done from 1953 until her death in 2022.

RCN general secretary and chief executive Professor Pat Cullen said she was “thrilled” the royal family would continue to support her organisation.

“This is such fantastic news for our members and for the college,” said Professor Cullen.

“We are deeply grateful to his majesty for demonstrating his support and appreciation for the nursing profession by continuing our long connection with the royal family.

“We look forward to working with his majesty and with his support and backing, continue to elevate the voice of nursing.”