Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Surprise NHS Staff with Burns Night Celebration

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have made a surprise appearance on Burns Night, Scotland's celebration of the poet Robert Burns.

William and Catherine teamed up with NHS Charities Together and Tayside Health Fund to provide a traditional Burns celebration lunch of haggis, neeps, and tatties for 200 staff treating coronavirus patients at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee.

In a video message played over lunchtime to a multidisciplinary Covid-19 response team who worked in the dedicated Covid-19 intensive care and high dependency units at the hospital, the Duke and Duchess thanked frontline workers for their tireless work and sacrifices.

They said they knew Burns Night was special for Scots and wanted to show their appreciation for the staff's hard work.

The Duke told staff, “We want to say a huge thank you for all the work you are doing and the sacrifices you are making.

As a token of our appreciation, we've teamed up with NHS Charities Together to provide you with a haggis dinner.”

The couple signed off with Chalante Mataf, a toast to good health in Scottish Gaelic.

For the occasion, the Duchess wore an apt repeat tartan dress by Emilia Wickstead, first worn to the Queen's Christmas lunch in 2019, as the pattern cloth is closely associated with Scotland.

The royals' gesture was a morale boost for the staff who have been working tirelessly during the pandemic.

According to VisitScotland.com, Burns Night is celebrated on January 25th, the anniversary of the composer's 1759 birth, with a Burns supper of traditional Scottish dishes such as haggis, neeps, and tatties.

Usually accompanied by plenty of whiskey, it's served before Burns poems and songs are recited.

The night ends with guests joining hands and singing Auld Lang Syne.

Prince Charles marked the annual celebration on Monday by reciting one of Burns' most well-known pieces, Auld Lang Syne.

The poem is recognized as the song most associated with New York festivities.

At the end of the video, shared on social media by Charles' Clarence House office, the royal holds up a cup and toasts in Scottish Gaelic, raising his glass and taking a sip.

Prince Charles described the poem as, “Words which have become a symbol of fellowship the world over, And never has that sense of connection been more important than now.

Should old acquaintance be forgot, And never brought to mind, Should old acquaintance be forgot, And days of Auld Lang Syne.

For Auld Lang Syne, my dear, for Auld Lang Syne, We'll tuck a cup of kindness yet, For the days of Auld Lang Syne.

Slange.”

The official Royal Family Instagram and Twitter accounts also marked Burns' night by sharing the words to My Heart's in the Highlands, a 1789 song and poem by the poet, alongside snowy photos of Queen Elizabeth's Scottish Highland home, Balmoral Castle, as well as the River Dee on a recent winter's day.