Princess Eugenie and husband Jack told to 'prepare for the worst' when his dad had coronavirus
Princess Eugenie’s father-in-law has revealed the royal and her husband were told to “prepare for the worst” when he was in hospital with coronavirus.
Jack Brooksbank’s father George was on a ventilator for five weeks as he battled COVID-19 in intensive care.
Brooksbank, 71, recovered from the illness and said his treatment was “incredible”.
He said: “The point I really want to get across is that I think the NHS is absolutely magnificent.
“The way I was treated was incredible. Nothing was too much trouble and at no point did I get a sense of a shortage of doctors or nurses or any impression that the service was in any way overwhelmed.
“There was always somebody at hand. I want to offer profound thanks to everyone who was involved. It was a real eye-opener for somebody who has not been in hospital before for any length of time.
“I certainly owe them my life.”
The princess, 30, and the rest of the Brooksbank family were said to be relieved by his recovery.
According to Press Association, Eugenie is likely to have kept the Queen informed about her father-in-law’s condition.
Brooksbank fell ill in mid-March after a trip to France and ended up being in hospital for nine weeks, said a spokesman for Eugenie’s mother Sarah, Duchess of York.
He was treated at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London, and then moved to a ward at the Royal Brompton Hospital which specialised in heart and lung conditions in people recovering from COVID-19.
He underwent a further period of rehabilitation at an institution in Roehampton.
Mr Brooksbank said he now felt “absolutely fine”, attributing his recovery to the several weeks of recuperation in hospital.
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Brooksbank lives in Wandsworth, south London, with his wife Nicola, 66.
She said: “Without doubt, they saved him, and we could not be more grateful. We were not able to see him throughout his treatment and more than once we were told to expect the worst.”
