Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte have led hundreds of thousands of Britons in showing their appreciation for the NHS who are slaving away day and night to try to stem the number of deaths from the lethal coronavirus.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge shared a video on Instagram of the young Royals – six, one and four respectively – laughing and clapping together in a garden.
The post on Kensington Palace’s account read: ‘To all the doctors, nurses, carers, GPs, pharmacists, volunteers and other NHS staff working tirelessly to help those affected by #COVID19: thank you.’
The Queen, who is staying at Windsor Castle, added the country is ‘enormously thankful’ for the commitment of all those working in science, health and the emergency and public services.
People flocked to their doorways, balconies, gardens and windows to give a heartwarming round of applause and lit fireworks from 8pm as the country came together.
The London Eye, the Wembley Arch, the Royal Albert Hall, the Principality Stadium and Lincoln Cathedral were among the landmarks lit a vivid ‘NHS blue’ during the emotional salute.
Left: Mel and Cody, Harriet and Lara clap for the NHS. Right: Leanne, Indie and ivy also took to their doorstep with homemade signs
A huge message of thank you is broadcast from the iconic Wembley Stadium in London as people flocked to their doorways to clap NHS staff
Residents in a Northampton street applaud in support of the NHS in a tear-jerking show of national unity in the face of a growing crisis
The London Eye is pictured a stunning, vivid shade of blue as it was lit up in the capital to support the hardworking NHS staff
Britons flocked to their doorways, balconies, gardens and windows to give a heartwarming round of applause – which echoed across the nation from 8pm. Pictured: The Blackpool Tower shows solidarity tonight
A sign by Wembley Park Tube Station in London that thanks the hardworking NHS staff who are trying to battle the coronavirus
People pause in the street in Wapping Wharf, Bristol, to join in the incredible national applause for the NHS on Thursday night
Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak took a moment to step outside 10 Downing Street to lead the cheers
The London Eye, the Wembley Arch, the Royal Albert Hall, the Principality Stadium, Lincoln Cathedral and Tyne Bridge (pictured) are among the landmarks that will be lit ‘NHS blue’ during the emotional salute
Nick and Karen Giddens and their dog Macy in Leicester join in a national applause for the NHS from their doorstep on Thursday night
The SSE Hydro in Glasgow is lit up in ‘NHS blue’ in a gesture of thanks to the hardworking NHS staff who are trying to battle the lethal coronavirus during Thursday night’s heartwarming salute
St Georges Hall and St John’s Beacon is lit up with ‘NHS blue’ lights in Liverpool as a sign of admiration for the National Health Service
Droves of people left their homes for a few minutes to give a huge round of applause for our hard working NHS staff. Pictured: South wets London
Seven-year-old Alice Wilkinson joins her mother Anna outside their house in Manchester during the Clap For Our Carers
The Shard towards over central London with its tip flashing a bright blue across the capital as Britons flocked to celebrate the beloved NHS
A police officer smiles and joins staff from the Royal Liverpool University Hospital in a national applause for the NHS
This stunning photograph shows Wembley Way leading on to the iconic arch which turned the north London skyline blue this evening
In other developments to the UK’s coronavirus crisis today:
- Police were accused of an ‘over the top’ response to the UK’s coronavirus lockdown as it emerged they have set up road blocks to stop and quiz drivers on a whim and even chased dog walkers and ramblers with drones;
- One of the government’s top advisers said the UK’s epidemic will get worse before it gets better but could peak by Easter;
- Dyson has been handed an order of 10,000 ventilators from the Government – as long as the machines pass early tests;
- Retailer Boots begged people not to turn up demanding tests because it has yet to receive any;
- Royal aides tried to trace anyone Prince Charles has met in the last fortnight after he tested positive for the disease;
- Chancellor Rishi Sunak set out a package of support for self-employed workers at this afternoon’s press conference.
The Clap For Carers campaign, which started online, has been staged because ‘during these unprecedented times they need to know we are grateful’, the organisers said.
It follows similar moves in Italy and Spain – which have the world’s highest death tolls – which created astonishing scenes earlier this month as they applauded from terraces in the countries’ cities.
Chief nursing officer of the NHS Ruth May said she appreciated the national salute planned to honour NHS workers.
Ms May said: ‘Nurses and midwives in our care staff are working around the clock. They are working so hard. And I have a very huge personal thank you to make to them.
She said she felt ‘very humble, very proud, and a clap for our carers will mean so much for all of our NHS staff and social care teams as well. Thank you. I appreciate it.’
The Clap For Carers campaign, which started online, has been staged because ‘during these unprecedented times they need to know we are grateful’, the organisers said. Pictured: The Town Hall in Liverpool on Thursday night
NHS staff respond as people in Blackpool join in a national applause for the NHS from their doorsteps, windows and balconies
Ashton Gate, the home of Bristol City FC is lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks to the hardworking NHS staff on Thursday night
People in a Northampton street applaud in support of the NHS and smile together during the incredible moment of national unity
Manchester Central Railway Station is lit up in blue tonight. Hardworking nurses and NHS staff have been going flat out to stem the number of deaths from the coronavirus
The tower restaurant at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon is lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks to the hardworking NHS staff
People in flats wave the Scottish flag in Glasgow as they join in the national applause for the NHS from their balcony at 8pm
A stunning shot from Wembley Stadium in north London shows a huge ‘Thank You NHS’ message plastered on the side of the iconic landmark
People in Wapping Wharf, Bristol, come out on to their balconies to join in the and smile as they clap our heroic NHS staff
Staff outside the St James’s University Hospital in Leeds wave to people applauding them from their balconies this evening
Shabir Kharas who was delivering food to venerable people still late into the night made time at 8pm to clap for the NHS
People in Northampton left their houses for a short while as they clapped the NHS. Britain is in lockdown and people have not been free to leave their homes under normal circumstances
Staff from the Royal Liverpool University Hospital join in a national applause for the NHS as people across the country showed their appreciation to them
A London-based intensive care nurse added to MailOnline: ‘It’s such a nice appreciation for the staff and we really are thank for it. We all really appreciate it.
‘Nurses don’t want to be heroes, we don’t want to be that, we just want people to not be sick and not have to come into us. We don’t see ourselves as heroes, this is just what we do on a daily basis.’
Clap For Carers is part of the #lightitblue campaign which has been organised by members of the events and entertainment industry as a way to say thank you.
Piers Morgan, Chris Moyles and Kate Garraway were among the celebrity presenters who said they backed the event.
Radio X presenter Moyles rallied his listeners to ‘make some noise for the thousands and thousands of people [in the NHS] that we’ll probably never meet, just to say ‘thank you’ for everything they are doing for us’ with a powerful message.
Britons living in Wapping Wharf, Bristol, come out on to their above and below balconies to join in the national applause tonight
People applaud in front of big screen in Piccadilly Circus, central London. Gary White and Chuck Crampton, who jointly started the #lightitblue campaign, said all venues will use existing LED technology to create a flash of blue on facades and screens
Residents in Saltburn By The Sea come out of their homes to hold a mass applause to show support for NHS staff and front line medical workers
NHS staff at Blackpool Hospital smile as they respond as people in the city join in thanking them for their hard work in battling the deadly coronavirus over the past few weeks
People in Woodford Green, London, descended on the streets to join in the national applause for the NHS as they stay away from other families to abide by social distancing
Staff from the Royal Liverpool University Hospital join in the country-wide clap for the NHS workers on Thursday evening
A Union Flag is flown from a window as residents in Saltburn By The Sea come out of their homes to hold the mass applause in the seaside town in North Yorkshire
Gary White and Chuck Crampton, who jointly started the #lightitblue campaign, said all venues will use existing LED technology to create a flash of blue on facades and screens.
It means people at different sites will be able to show their support while staying at home in line with current Government advice during the pandemic.
In a statement, they said: ‘The events and entertainment industry finds itself in an unprecedented state of enforced inaction.
‘The best thing we can do – apart from staying at home – is to use our skills and networks to say thank you to everyone who is supporting the NHS and risking their own health to help others during this pandemic.’
Taxi drivers get out of their cabs to clap at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital and cheer staff this evening in Liverpool city centre
The Lowry theatre in Salford, Manchester, lit up in blue in a gesture of thanks to the hardworking NHS staff who are trying to battle coronavirus
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: ‘My colleagues in the NHS do so much to look after us, especially in our hour of need and never more so than during the coronavirus crisis, so let’s join together at 8pm tonight to say thank you to everyone in the NHS.’ Pictured: Tawstock Court in Barnstaple
Wembley stadium is seen lit up from the entrance to Wembley Way. It is blue for the Clap For Our Carers campaign in support of the NHS
Dr Olivera Potparic Anestesis applauds her colleagues after finishing a 12-hour shift at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
People applaud outside their flats in Wembley, north London, during the Clap For Our Carers campaign on Thursday evening
Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council released this incredible shot of Redcar Pier lit up in blue as it stretches into the sea
Pictured: The Tyne Bridge in Newcastle. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: ‘I applaud the NHS, I clap for the NHS, I love the NHS. Well done everyone who works for the National Health Service and our care services and all the GP practices and everywhere else’
The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan also recorded a video message and said he wanted to thank every person working in the NHS in London and around the country. Pictured: People in London hang out of their windows
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: ‘My colleagues in the NHS do so much to look after us, especially in our hour of need and never more so than during the coronavirus crisis, so let’s join together at 8pm tonight to say thank you to everyone in the NHS.’
The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan also recorded a video message and said he wanted to thank every person working in the NHS in London and around the country.
He added: ‘You truly are the best. Your hard work, dedication and courage is saving lives every single day and we need you now more than ever before. I urge everyone to join together and applaud for our NHS.’
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: ‘I applaud the NHS, I clap for the NHS, I love the NHS. Well done everyone who works for the National Health Service and our care services and all the GP practices and everywhere else.
‘You’re doing a fantastic job and I think the whole country has begun to realise how much we rely on you and on each other to get through this particular crisis. Thanks a lot and well done.’
But NHS frontline staff are currently treating patients diagnosed with the deadly bug without World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended protective clothing.
Terrified doctors and nurses have hit out at the Government for failing to provide them with enough gloves, masks, aprons and goggles amid the pandemic.
Britain’s death toll from the killer bug jumped to 578 after 113 more fatalities were confirmed across the home nations, making today the UK’s darkest day yet in the escalating outbreak.
Health officials also said more than 2,100 new patients had tested positive for the life-threatening infection, meaning almost 12,000 cases of COVID-19 have now been recorded here.
The British Medical Association warned yesterday that NHS staff will die if they are not given sufficient protective clothing while they treat patients with the virus.
The doctors’ union slammed Public Health England for falling short of WHO guidelines. Medical staff in other countries are given full hazmat suits, but PHE experts say their is no evidence full bodysuits are needed.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: ‘We are working around the clock to give the social care sector and wider-NHS the equipment and support they need to tackle this outbreak.
‘We have delivered millions more items of personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline staff at care homes, home care providers and hospices as well as to hospitals, ambulance trusts, GP practices and pharmacists.
‘The full weight of the Government is behind this effort and we are working closely with industry, social care providers, the NHS, and the army to ensure the right equipment continues to be delivered.’