The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have phoned the colleagues of the first frontline NHS hospital worker to die after contracting coronavirus to sympathise with their loss and praise their "incredible" efforts.

William and Kate "shared in our grief", staff from Queen's Hospital Burton in the West Midlands said after the royals rang on Wednesday to talk about consultant Amged El-Hawrani.

Mr El-Hawrani, an ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgeon, died at Leicester Royal Infirmary on Saturday after contracting Covid-19 from his patients.

Adrian Thompson, an ENT consultant at the Burton on Trent hospital where Mr El-Hawrani had worked, said: "I have worked with Amged for 14 years at Queen's Hospital. He was a close friend and colleague and was highly respected by everybody who worked with him.

"We are all aware of the seriousness of Covid but when it takes the life of one of our own it hits us a bit harder. Their royal highnesses were very empathetic in offering their condolences and they were really sorry to hear we had lost a colleague."

The duke and duchess chatted via speaker phone from their Norfolk home to hospital staff in Staffordshire whose shifts had been arranged so they were able to briefly step away from their duties without patient care suffering.

During the call the duke said: "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."

William went on to say: "I know all of you see this as your job and that you get on with it, but this is a different level and you are doing an incredible job.

"The whole country is proud of you so thank you for everything you're doing and all the hours you are putting in."