CROWN Princess Katherine of Serbia has donated £450,000 worth of medical supplies to hospitals across the country to help fight the coronavirus pandemic.
The royal from the former monarchy donated Stryker electric beds, mattresses and medical equipment to 17 hospitals throughout the country. The Crown Princess is the wife of Crown Prince Aleksandar Karadjordjevic, the heir to Serbia’s now-defunct throne.
The Karadjordjevics ruled Yugoslavia until communists took power after the Second World War and abolished the monarchy.
The royal couple are in voluntary quarantine in their castle outside Belgrade but are continuing with their charity work throughout the pandemic.
Crown Princess Katherine provides support through her Princess Katherine Foundation.
Through the organisation, the Crown Prince also organised the donation of free meals to medical staff fighting coronavirus in KBC Zvezdara and Zemun hospitals in Belgrade.
Her Royal Highness also helped to secure accommodation for doctors working at the Clinical Centre of Serbia who are at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19.
In a statement, Princess Katherine said: “Doctors and nurses are risking their lives to save lives; we need to help them.
“They are our heroes.”
She added: “Nurses give so much of themselves to all those in need every day.
“They are selfless.
“Nurses and doctors complement each other and there is no hospital without nurses.
“Nurses are the main bond between doctors and patients who see them as part of their family and their biggest supporters.
“You are our everyday heroes and we thank you from for your care and compassion from the bottom of heart.”
The Royal added of the COVID-19 pandemic: “I pray that as this epidemic is slowing down, our country will prove that everyone has learned the “The Joy of Giving”.
“We will be a society that cares for one another.
“We owe it to God for giving us life and the opportunity to share our life with others!
“We need to come out of this epidemic as better people!
“It will not be easy but at least we are working together for a better future for all people.”
In 1993, Crown Princess Katherine also founded the Lifeline Humanitarian Organisation which currently has offices in Chicago, New York, Toronto, London and Athens.
As patron of the charity, she co-hosted an online fundraising concert as a call to action during the COVID-19 crisis earlier this month.
The online concert had performances by RJ Gibb, son of the late Robin Gibb from The Bee Gees, magician Andrew Eborn and the Serbian pop star Boban Rajovic.
Funds were for the NHS in the UK and Serbian healthcare authorities.