15 Times the Royal Family Quietly Gave Back

Early on in this global health situation, Prince William and Kate Middleton became concerned about the mental health of the frontline workers. The employees were putting in long hours and dealing with tremendous stress -- so the Cambridges put The Royal Foundation to good use, helping provide 24/7 mental health support to those on the front lines. Anyone struggling could simply call or text and be connected with someone who could help.

The Duchess of York got in on the helping spirit when she collected food to be given to those in need during these trying times. Sarah has also been reading children's books on her Instagram so parents can have something to occupy their kids' time for a bit that doesn't involve Mom or Dad. She's just doing the most without expecting any praise.

Sarah's daughter, Princess Eugenie, and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, hit up a local Salvation Army to help pack food boxes. Those boxes were then distributed at various food banks, which many families have relied on heavily during this tough time. It was sweet of Eugenie and Jack not to just post about what the Salvation Army was doing, but to get in there themselves and help.

We know that Kate is a hands-on mom, so it doesn't surprise us that she's super involved in her kids' school. It also doesn't surprise us that she doesn't brag about her involvement. According to People magazine, at the start of the 2019 fall term, Kate joined a three-hour phone call about mental health at her children's school and how everyone -- from parents to teachers -- can help the students. Mental health is a cause close to Kate's heart, so of course she would be all about this call.

Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, has been volunteering for weeks at a London kitchen, according to Harper's Bazaar. She's been helping make free meals for National Health Service frontline workers at hospitals across the UK. For a long time, no one even knew, because Sophie wasn't posting about it online. People only really found out when she joined catering company Rhubarb in the effort, and they posted about it. 

Sophie was content to just help.

Harry and Meghan are no longer working royals, so they technically don't need to do any charitable work right now. But they're just good people, and almost immediately after moving to Los Angeles, they gave back to the city. The couple was seen dressed casually and wearing masks and gloves as they distributed food to those in need. 

So sweet.

No one knew it until he revealed his secret, but Prince William has been working as a responder to the UK's 24/7 mental health text crisis line. William helped launch the project in 2019 with Kate, Harry, and Meghan, and he's recently joined the other 2,000 volunteers to help people who text the number. Initially, William didn't want to reveal his identity as a volunteer -- in case people started texting just to try to talk to him -- but reportedly, the line can now handle a high volume of messages, so he felt comfortable admitting his role.

In May, we saw some adorable images of Princess Charlotte helping to deliver food packages to those in need, but a recently released photo shows that Prince George and Prince William also helped out that day. It's so great to see William and Kate preparing their kids early to help give back. It'll come in handy when the children grow up to be working royals.

With so many people on lockdown, Prince Charles and Camilla wisely noted, "Royal Mail plays an absolutely vital role in keeping family and friends in touch with one another." To thank the essential workers at the postal service, they wrote them a letter. It was hand delivered to Postman Neil, who's been working in the field for 36 years.

William met virtually with two members of PEEK, an organization that helps deliver food to families in need, but healthy and nutritious food in particular. William discussed the importance of people getting healthy meals during this time and how PEEK makes it happen for families who may not otherwise be able to afford it. 

Such important work.

Kate has made it known that mental health, and mental health for mothers in particular, is extremely important to her. So it made sense that she would reach out to midwives, parents, nurses, and other frontline workers in the pregnancy and birth arena to check how they were doing during this tough time. Just a phone call from the duchess seemed to brighten some of their days.

The Daily Mail reported that even with Meghan in Los Angeles, she's secretly been keeping in touch with her UK patronages, particularly the animal welfare charity Mayhew. The organization wouldn't elaborate on what the duchess was doing with them, but stated that Meghan had been in touch and was collaborating.

Camilla became an NHS Volunteer Responder in April and took on the task of calling to check on some senior members of the community -- like 85-year-old Doris who had been staying at home for two weeks at that point. The duchess wanted to make sure Doris was OK during this isolation period, which is such a thoughtful thing to do.

The queen's cousin, Princess Alexandra, has a host of patronages, and she didn't let this time at home keep her from checking in on them. In particular, she called Friends of the Elderly, St. Christopher's Hospice, and Care For Veterans to see how they were holding up during this tough time. It's nice that the royals are staying on top of their charity work, even while they're at home.

Harper's Bazaar reported that Harry and Meghan are dedicated to understanding all the nuances of the Black Lives Matter movement, particularly how it relates to their new home of Los Angeles -- so they've been setting up and attending meetings with community leaders in the area. It's a cause close to Meghan's heart, and in time, we'll likely see them get more involved in it.