Prince William and Duchess Catherine personally thanked NHS workers for the ''incredible job'' they are doing to battle coronavirus.

The UK and the rest of the world is gripped with the killer virus and the royal couple - who have Prince George, six, Princess Charlotte, four, and Prince Louis, 23 months, together - spoke with staff at Queen's Hospital Burton in Staffordshire and the University Hospital Monklands in North Lanarkshire to thank them for their hard work.

Speaking in a recording, posted on the Kensington Royal Instagram account, the Duke of Cambridge shared: ''We'd just like to say from the two of us how proud we are of all of you and how amazingly you are all doing under extreme circumstances. I know all of you will see this as your job and that you get on with it. But generally this is a different level and you guys are doing an incredible job. The whole country is proud of you, not just us, we really mean that, so thank you for everything you are doing and all the hours you are putting in.''

During the conversations, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge heard the impact of being on the frontline was having effects on the ''personal and professional lives of staff'' up and down the country.

The post was captioned: ''The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge held telephone conversations with staff at two UK hospitals to thank them for their tireless work responding to the #covid19 outbreak. During calls to Queen's Hospital Burton in Staffordshire and the University Hospital Monklands in North Lanarkshire, The Duke and Duchess heard about the impact of the spread of the #coronavirus on the personal and professional lives of staff. The NHS workers, including doctors and nurses, told The Duke and Duchess about the invaluable support they have received from their local communities as well as how they are supporting each other as they work through this crisis. #clapforourcarers #thankyounhs #nhsthankyou (sic)''