Tuesday 15 September 2020 – The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate, today visited the East London Mosque and London Muslim Centre, to meet staff and volunteers who supported the needy and vulnerable during the lockdown, as well as some of the beneficiaries.

The Duke and Duchess were welcomed by our Chairman, Muhammad Habibur Rahman, our Senior Imam, Mohammed Mahmoud, and our Director, Dilowar Hussain Khan. They were introduced to the range of services of the mosque by our Head of Assets & Facilities, Asad Jaman, and our Maryam Centre Manager, Sufia Alam.

Vital support given by the East London Mosque and London Muslim Centre included: providing emergency mortuary facilities; delivering meals, food and hygiene packs, and medication; and maintaining advice and counselling services. Much of this was made possible through urgent fundraising at the height of the lockdown, supported generously by the Muslim community.

The Duke and Duchess listened to staff, volunteers and beneficiaries about the positive impact of these services and congratulated the staff and volunteers for their hard work and effort during such a difficult period. They also met representatives from businesses who partnered up with the Mosque to deliver these services, including Bow Cash and Carry and Saffron Kitchen. The Duke is Patron of the National Emergencies Trust, which played an important role in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the end of the visit, the Duke and Duchess were presented with a gift of honey from the Mosque’s own beehives.