The Queen has paid tribute to all those who are working hard to build the new NHS Nightingale Hospital in London. Housed in the ExCel convention centre, the hospital will care for 4000 coronavirus patients and is being built by up to 200 military personnel, including infantry from the First Battalion of The Royal Anglian Regiment, who are working long shifts to complete the project as quickly as possible. The Queen is head of the Armed Forces, making it an especially proud moment for her Majesty.
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A tweet posted to the official Royal Family Twitter account on Wednesday afternoon shared a post from The Ministry of Defence that included a video showing members of the armed forces hard at work on the new hospital. The monarch's message read: "Thank you to all those working hard to complete @NightingaleLDN Hospital, which will open this week to support patients with coronavirus." The account's next tweet said: "As the Regiment’s Colonel in Chief, The Duke of Gloucester has paid tribute to @RAnglians, who have been working alongside @NHSEnglandLDN and @defenceuk colleagues to complete the build."
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The Duke of Gloucester is the Queen's cousin and Colonel in Chief of the Royal Anglian Regiment. Another tweet quoted the Duke, who echoed the Queen's kind sentiments, saying: "In these challenging times, I am enormously proud of the Royal Anglian’s role in helping to build @NightingaleLDN. It is a testament to the @RAnglians’s dedication, teamwork and professionalism. Their commitment will make a huge difference to lives up and down the country."
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The hospital will look after people affected by COVID-19 who are in need of intensive care and expects to be able to admit patients by Friday. It is part of the government's response to the coronavirus pandemic, which also includes a three-week lockdown and the closing of all non-essential businesses. The Queen's oldest son, Prince Charles, was diagnosed with the virus a couple of weeks ago after displaying mild symptoms but is now out of self-isolation.
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