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Prince William was thrilled to be reunited with a Matron he first met as a work experience student in a Royal Marsden hospital when he was 23 years old.
The royal, 40, travelled to Sutton today to open the £70m Oak Cancer Centre.
In his capacity as President of The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Prince William launched the appeal for the much-needed facility back in 2015.
Building on the £70m state-of-the-art research and treatment facility began back in 2020 – with Prince William being asked to lay the foundation stone.
Three years on, doctors based at the centre will now have new outpatient facilities, a medical day-care and collaboration space for clinical researchers.
Prince William pictured laughing with two elderly patients and a nurse in the outpatient area of the building
To mark the opening of the new building, Prince William delivered a heartfelt speech before then taking a tour of the premises.
As he entered the Day Care Unit, footage captured by the Daily Mail’s Royal editor Rebecca English showed the moment Prince William was reunited with his old mentor Matron Lorraine Hyde.
After being introduced to Lorraine by the Head Nurse, Prince William said: ‘We have met before.
’18 years ago I think it was. I was on work experience.’
In 2005, Prince William completed several work experience placements – including one at the Royal Marsden Hospital Trust.
Looking back fondly at that time, the royal added: ‘The good old days back at university!’
The Prince studied Geography at St Andrews University in Scotland, which is where he met his future wife Kate Middleton, and graduated with a 2:1 in 2005.
Earlier in the day, the father-of-three said in his speech: ‘As President of The Royal Marsden, I am delighted to be here with you today to celebrate the opening of a remarkable treatment and research facility, that will transform the lives of cancer patients.
Prince William meets outpatients during a visit to open the the Oak Cancer Centre research and treatment facility at the Royal Marsden Hospital
Prince William talks to a patient as he attends the official opening of the Oak Cancer Centre at The Royal Marsden Hospital in London
Prince William happily speaks to a group of schoolchildren outside the new Oak Cancer Centre in Sutton
Prince William was delighted to be reunited with Matron Lorraine Hyde (far left), who oversaw his work experience when he was 23 years old
‘The Oak Cancer Centre is a major milestone in both The Royal Marsden’s history and the future of early diagnosis. I was delighted to launch the appeal for this facility eight years ago and lay the foundation stone in 2020, so I am incredibly proud to be standing here with you all today in this beautiful building.
‘For the first time, this state-of-the-art Centre brings together hundreds of researchers alongside patients.
‘This will deliver truly integrated ‘bench to bedside’ studies that will speed up the development and translation of new personalised treatments – not just for Royal Marsden patients here, but for cancer patients worldwide.
‘I was so pleased to hear first-hand from patients this morning what a difference this building will make to them.’
The royal then went on to thank the fundraising team and the ‘many generous individuals from across the world’ who had played a part in building the new centre.
He concluded: ‘On behalf of The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, thank you to everyone who contributed to the Appeal, specifically Mike Slade as Chair of the Appeal Board and every one of you here, who has helped to make this transformational building a reality.
Prince William pictured at the official opening of the Oak Cancer Centre in Sutton. The royal said he was ‘delighted’ to see it open its doors to patients
During the engagement, Prince William delivered a heartfelt speech and said he was ‘delighted’ to have launched the appeal for the facility in 2015
Prince William pictured sharing a laugh with two women receiving care at the newly opened Oak Cancer Centre in Sutton
‘It is this deep-rooted history of philanthropic giving that enables The Royal Marsden to continue their extraordinary efforts to transform the lives of cancer patients.
Afterwards, the Prince of Wales beamed as he spoke with patients and learned about how the new facilities will impact their treatment.
During the visit, the royal was seen sharing a laugh with a woman who is being treated by medical professionals at the Oak Cancer Centre.
Although Prince William wore a suit for the tour of the facilities, he appeared more casual in just a shirt and tie as he spoke with patients.
He was then pictured laughing with two elderly patients and a nurse in the outpatient area of the building.
An artist’s illustration of what the £70m Oak Cancer Centre in Sutton would like when building began in 2020
Earlier this week, the Prince and Princess of Wales offered to replace all the food stolen from a foodbank based at a church in South Wales.
In September 2022, Kate, 41, and Prince William, 40, visited St Thomas Church in Swansea. They hailed the church-run foodbank as a ‘lifeline’ for struggling people.
But the site was broken into and all the food supplies stolen meaning hungry people had to be turned away following the overnight raid, in which baby toys and an orange bike were also taken.
Earlier today, the Prince and Princess contacted Reverend Steve Bunting to ‘offer their love and support’. They also said they would like to replace the food that was stolen, Rev Bunting told ITV News.
He said he believes the thief may have been a ‘desperate’ previous user of the foodbank, who now needed help.
