The Duke of Cambridge met patients receiving pioneering new treatments at specialist cancer hospital the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust on Wednesday morning. The 33-year-old was given a two-hour tour of the hospital's research facilities in Sutton to learn more about their work developing new cancer treatments.
During his tour, William was shown state-of-the-art laboratories at the Centre for Molecular Pathology, and met patients who are undergoing clinical trials at the West Wing clinical research centre. The Duke took the time to chat to both doctors and patients in a bid to find out more about the treatments and research on offer at the hospital.
The royal visit prompted excitement among both patients and staff, as well as a group of children from the Royal Marsden nursery, who gathered outside to greet William wearing paper crowns.
As President of the Royal Marsden, William will later host a dinner for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity at Kensington Palace. The Duke took over the role in 2007 following in the footsteps of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, who held the same position from 1989 until her death in 1997.
William has had a long relationship with the hospital and previously carried out two days of work experience at their children's unit in 2005, two years before he became President of the institution. Six years later, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, née Kate Middleton, opened the trust's cancer unit for children and young people.
Prince William's visit to the hospital came after his show of solidarity with the victims of the Paris attacks on Tuesday night. Attending the England v France football match at Wembley stadium, William led some 70,000 fans in singing the French national anthem in his capacity as the president of the Football Association. He also laid a wreath on the pitch before joining both teams in a one-minute silence to pay respects to the lives lost in the terror attack.
