Prince William was out and about on Thursday, the morning after his big outing at the Royal Variety show. His wife was his date on Wednesday night, and those photos were still being discussed the next day. So much so that William’s Thursday event got barely any attention. He was in Leeds to open up a new treatment center for motor neurone disease. He is close to the family of late rugby pro Rob Burrow, and he spent time with Burrow’s widow and children at the opening.
The Prince of Wales shared a hug with Rob Burrow’s widow Lindsey as he arrived to officially open a centre in the late athlete’s honour in Leeds. Prince William and the mother-of-three first met one another when the royal, 43, presented Rob with his CBE in January 2024. The rugby league player passed away months later in June 2024 after a battle with motor neurone disease (MND).
William would later record a touching message for Rob’s widow to use as the foreword in her memoir, which was released earlier this year.
Together they joined forces again today to open the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease at Seacroft Hospital in Leeds – a new world-leading facility dedicated to the diagnosis, research and care of MND.
During the emotional visit, William also told Rob’s children, Macy, Maya and Jackson, they should be ‘so proud’ of him and said it was his ‘absolute honour’ to visit today. He said the Leeds Rhinos rugby legend’s legacy will ‘live on’, adding: ‘He really was an incredibly brave, very special man.’
Born from Rob’s determination to create a place that treats patients as people, not conditions, the centre was designed with patients and families at its heart – providing a calm, welcoming, and fully accessible environment.
Honestly, William steps out every so often to do these kinds of solo events with very little media coverage. It’s definitely what he should be doing, and what he should be doing more of, not just when he has some kind of personal connection to the family (or a sport he enjoys). It’s a little bit funny though, how this event was completely overshadowed by the Duchess of Sussex. Even if Meghan’s Bazaar cover hadn’t have come out last night, I’m sure the result would have been the same – barely any coverage.
I also wanted to highlight the awkwardness of William’s hugs. He greeted Lindsey Burrow with a hug and it just doesn’t come naturally to him. Three years after Netflix’s Harry & Meghan series, and Will and Kate are STILL trying to prove that they’re huggers too, they just didn’t want to hug Meghan!!
Photos courtesy of Getty, Cover Images.
