Kate MiddletonandPrince Williamare learning more about relief work for the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria.
The Prince and Princess of Wales stepped out at the Hayes Muslim Centre in London on Thursday morning to thank aid workers and fundraisers dedicated to the cause. The royal visit came one month after a 7.8-magnitudeearthquakerocked the two countries on Feb. 6. Over 47,000 people have died, theAssociated Pressreports, in what Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has described as “the disaster of the century.”
Prince William, 40, and Princess Kate, 41,shared their shockand voiced support for the U.K. Disasters Emergency Committee’s (DEC) Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal soon after the disaster, and today, met people making a difference. The royal couple spent time with reps from the Hayes Muslim Centre, which has raised over $29,000 for the campaign to date.
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One girl told the couple, “It’s really important to fold cranes together because the more people put one crane together, the more power they have.”
“Here in Hayes, more than £25,000 has been raised from bucket collections and other donations after prayers. An amazing effort@HayesMuslimC!” they added. “For everything you have done and are continuing to do, thank you.”
Prince Williamand Princess Kate first shared their support for the people of Turkey and Syria in a Feb. 9 tweet.
“We have been horrified to see the harrowing images coming out of Turkey and Syria in the aftermath of the earthquakes this week. Our thoughts are with the communities affected and we are pleased to support the @decappeal campaign which will aid the response on the ground,” the royalstweeted, signing the message with “W&C” for William and Catherine to indicate the tweet’s personal nature.
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King Charles IIIalso made a statement on the day of the disaster, sending “thoughts and special prayers” on behalf of himself and his wife,Queen Camilla. The royal couple donated to the U.K. Disasters Emergency Committee’s (DEC) Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal, which has raised over $100 million to date. In a Feb. 9tweet, the DEC thanked Charles and Camilla for their “generous donation” to the emergency appeal.
The King, 74, similarlystepped out in Londonon Valentine’s Day to meet volunteers organizing donations to those in need in Turkey and Syria.
Noticeably solo, Charles' outing came the day after Buckingham Palace announced that Queen Camilla hastested positive for COVID-19. The Queen Consort, 75, has since recovered and returned to royal engagements.
source: people.com
