Prince William 'overwhelmed' by heroics of Syrian aid workers

Duke of Cambridge spoke to aid workers during a delicate time for UK’s royal family

Britain's Prince William hailed the work of "incredible heroes" helping tackle the Covid-19 pandemic in countries blighted by conflict.

The Duke of Cambridge spoke with humanitarian workers Fadi Hallisso, Kawther Mohamad Ali and Shahinaz Muamar via a video call.

After hearing the workers’ stories, William said: “You are all incredible heroes.

“I’m totally overwhelmed by the scale of the burden you guys face – the scale and challenge, but also the enormity of the dedication you have.”

The aid workers are supported by the Disasters Emergency Committee Coronavirus Appeal, which has been co-ordinating donations from Britain to help millions of vulnerable people.

The call came at a difficult time for the prince as he deals with the fallout from his brother Prince Harry's interview with Oprah Winfrey, in which Harry suggested his wife Meghan Markle had suffered racism at the hands of the British royal family.

Buckingham Palace is to consider appointing a diversity chief.

Under the proposals, the royal family would seek independent views to help assess and improve representation across the royal household.

William is understood to be at the heart of discussions about how the monarchy should change.

William "thinks the public look to him to keep royal work looking modern," a confidante told The Sunday Times Magazine.

The source said Queen Elizabeth II and her heir the Prince of Wales are providing continuity and stability, while William is “carving out his own relationship with diverse communities.

“He sees it all as a way of doing things now that will help a smooth transition when the time comes.”

Prince William has spoken to his brother Harry since the interview was broadcast, but, according to reports, the conversation was "unproductive".

The DEC's appeal, launched last July, aims to support health workers and improve the living conditions of refugees in countries including Yemen, Syria, Somalia, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Afghanistan.

More than £38 million ($45m) has been raised so far.  The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office added another £10m to that total.

Prince William said he was “amazed” by the money raised to date, but acknowledged it is “nowhere near what you need”.

DEC chief executive Saleh Saeed told the duke the countries the DEC supports are facing a "potential catastrophe" this year, with Syria entering its 11th year of fighting, and "famine looming in places like Yemen and South Sudan".

He said without a tracking system to record coronavirus infections and deaths in these regions, official figures do not reflect the true scale of fatalities.

Mr Hallisso, from Aleppo in Syria, told William that only 65 per cent of hospitals in the country are open.

He said “many hundreds of thousands” of displaced people are “living in the outdoors in makeshift tents” and “a lot of doctors were either killed or had to flee the country for their safety.

“People are often left with one of two choices – either to die out of hunger if they stay at home, or to risk their life if they go out and try to work and bring food to their families," said Mr Hallisso.

Ms Muamar, who works to protect refugees in and around Idlib in north Syria from Covid-19, said she is “so afraid about the future” because people in the camps are not able to follow social distancing guidelines and have “no safety”.

Ms Ali, an anaesthetist at the Jisr Al-Shughour Hospital in Idlib, said DEC funding has enabled her to learn how to treat Covid patients while keeping herself safe.