Prince William, Kate Middleton honour NHS staff with Pride of Britain Awards

The Duke and the Duchess of Cambridge honoured the NHS frontline heroes with the Pride of Britain award. Prince William and Kate Middleton thanked them on behalf of the nation for their extraordinary work at the time of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Cambridges dressed in blue, the colour of NHS, to present the Pride of Britain Awards 2020 that will broadcast on Sunday, Nov. 1 at 9:00 pm on ITV. The annual award ceremony celebrates the achievements of truly remarkable people and is deemed the biggest awards of its kind on the British channels.

The nominations are made by the public from all walks of life, ages, and from all over the country. According to Daily Mail, members of the public nominated frontline workers for the prestigious award this award.

Prince William and Kate Middleton were introduced to six representatives of NHS staff by "Good Morning Britain" host Kate Garraway. They presented the award at St Bartholomew hospital in the City of London.

"We cannot thank you enough. On behalf of a grateful nation, it is a tremendous honour for Catherine and I to present this special recognition award to the army of dedicated NHS staff," William said while presenting the award.

The parents-of-three talked to each of the six members of the NHS staff about the challenges faced by them during the lockdown period.

"Through our conversations with frontline workers during the pandemic, we have been inspired by their stories of bravery and selflessness," the duchess said. "Many have had to leave their families for weeks on end, some have come out of retirement to help, while others have stepped into new roles to play their part in the fight against coronavirus. And it is not just the medical teams - all NHS staff have played a crucial role through this time."

In addition, William and Kate offered their support to Garraway, whose husband Derek Draper has been seriously ill after contracting COVID-19 more than eight months ago. Draper continues to be in the hospital battling the effects of the virus.

Keisha Mills, an intensive care matron, Marion Jones, a health care assistant, and Dr Simon Finney, an intensive care consultant, all from Barts Health Trust and, from the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, Heder Lopes Landim, a porter at Barnet Hospital; Martha Sarpong, an ITU support nurse, and Charlotte Greenfield, a critical care physiotherapist are the six representatives to receive the award on behalf of all NHS staff of the UK.

The pair wore matching blue suits. In a touching tribute, the duchess teamed up her attire with a Lisou blue blouse with rainbows prints on it. The royals covered their mouths with facemasks and made sure to maintain distance from other attendees.