The Duke of Cambridge has made a surprise video call to a woman and her young son who have been shielding for the last three months during the coronavirus lockdown. In footage that will feature on the BBC's The One Show on Tuesday, Prince William dials in from his Norfolk home to speak with Leanne and her five-year-old son, Kaydyn, who has cystic fibrosis.
The mum was shown covering her mouth with her hands in shock as the Duke's face appeared on the video call. The clip forms part of a film focusing on extremely vulnerable people being advised to remain at home as much as possible, and the challenges they are facing.
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© Photo: PAWilliam spoke with Leanne and Kaydyn
The Duke asked the family: "Is it even more hard and frustrating for you guys bearing in mind the lockdown is starting to ease a little bit?"
Leanne replied: "Yeah, and of course Kaydyn heard that on the news and he was like 'Oh can we go out now?' And I was like 'no we can't' so he's now like 'Why can everyone else go out and I can't?'"
William added: "A lot of people will start to go back to work a lot more and we need to keep the focus on you guys who are going to be shielding and finding that very, very difficult."
From the start of June, more than 2.2 million extremely vulnerable people shielding from coronavirus were allowed to leave their homes as part of government measures to ease the lockdown. Since the advice changed, Leanne and Kaydyn have been outside twice, both on country walks. The BBC said: "Initially Kaydyn was frustrated about being forced to stay inside - now he is very nervous about leaving the house."
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© Photo: PAWilliam spoke with sports stars about mental health in sport
It comes after the Duke of Cambridge joined a group meeting with a number of sporting stars, including England rugby hero Jonny Wilkinson, to discuss the issue of mental health as sports events begin to resume in the UK. In a separate call last week, William also spoke with members of the Arsenal football team before the Premier League returns on 17 June.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been residing at their Norfolk home, Anmer Hall, with their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis since lockdown was imposed in March. William and Kate have been carrying out their royal duties remotely using video and telephone calls.
The One Show broadcasts on BBC One at 7pm every weeknight.
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