Staff at a Nottingham hospital have opened up about treating King Charles over the past 30 years, describing him as an "ideal patient". Workers at Queen's Medical Centre have shared their memories of meeting the then Prince of Wales, recalling him to be personable and chatty.
Senior staff nurse Gail Burbage was at home when she was called in to look after Prince Charles on ward D9 when he broke his elbow in a polo match in 1990. “I jumped at the chance,” said Gail.
Charles had a three-hour operation and was in a normal side room on the ward, with a small bay occupied by his security team and personal assistants throughout his week-long stay. “It was an honour to care for him," she added.
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"He was personable, chatty – the ideal patient. Of course, we had certain protocols we had to follow but he kept it all light-hearted and made it easy for us.” Charles brought his own chefs to QMC, claiming he didn’t want to cause any unnecessary work for the catering staff, but mentioned that he was curious to sample the food.
Gail added that the King enjoyed his meal off one of the plastic trays and described it as well-balanced. Charles used a PCAS pump, which administers pain relief and was surprised that NUH had limited stock of the machines.
After his stay, Charles sent Christmas cards and gifts from Harrods to all the staff that had cared for him. The following year, he organised a charity polo match at Royal Windsor and all those involved in his care were invited along to watch.
The match raised £25,000 which Charles donated to NUH to fund more PCAS pumps. The King visited the Nottingham site just a year prior on January 11, 1989, to meet survivors of the Kegworth air disaster and to chat with staff who cared for them. Days earlier, a Boeing 737 - en route to Belfast from Heathrow with 126 people on board - was forced to divert to East Midlands Airport for an emergency landing after developing engine trouble.
The plane came down short of the runway, smashing into the embankment on the side of the M1. Of the 79 survivors, 74 were seriously injured. Nurse Lynn Dyer was not working that night but was called into the Emergency Department and remembers the survivors arriving.
“I can remember it as vividly as anything – even down to the clothes people were wearing. I was in Resus with consultants.” Lynn – who now works in infection control – lined up outside with her colleagues for the royal visit.
“It was a freezing January day,” she said. “Charles commented on how cold it was, and I said I should have put my thermals on.
He said we should all go back inside and have a hot toddy – I told him I wasn’t allowed to drink on duty. It was a very proud moment in my career and one I will never forget – not only meeting Prince Charles – who had no airs and graces - but being part of the Resus team that night.”
Charles also opened the multi-faith centre at QMC in 1999. Gail, like millions of others across the UK, said she will tune in to watch the King's Coronation tomorrow, Saturday, May 7.
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