Prince William visits Wellington Hospital

Photos by Louise Goossens -- click on an image to view it full size.

An estimated two thousand people turned out on Tuesday 19 January to greet Prince William on his first official visit to Wellington Hospital.

What was scheduled to be an hour long stopover turned into a ninety minute stay, as the Prince extended generous quantities of his time to speak with sick children in Wards 18 and 19.

While he spent quiet time alone with the children and their families, the rest of his visit was far from silent - with spontaneous outbursts of cheers and applause from patients, visitors and staff who lined the Prince's route.

The day's events began with the arrival of Prime Minister John Key and his Minister of Health Tony Ryall, who were greeted by C&C DHB Chief Executive Ken Whelan, Deputy Board Chair Virginia Hope, Kaumatua Sam Jackson and others. All of this occurred under the watchful eye of around 50 media from around the world.

Prince William arrived soon thereafter, at around 9.00am, and greeted the official party before proceeding through the new hospital to the Children's wards - pausing to greet a small crowd of around 200 who had gathered in the atrium awaiting his arrival.

Once at the children's wards, Prince William spent some considerable time visiting children who were confined to their beds, before greeting other patients and their families in the day rooms of each ward.

The Prince was joined by Prime Minister John Key to unveil a plaque commemorating his visit.

Having extended his visit by half an hour, the Prince still found time to accommodate many of the wishes of staff and patients, posing for some pictures and finding time to shake many dozens of hands on his way back to the atrium - where the biggest crowd of the visit had gathered.

The visit was, by anyone's estimation, an unqualified success.

Our thanks to the Wellington Hospitals & Health Foundation for their work in organising the Prince's visit.