Prince William opens MND centre

The Prince of Wales has kept his promise and opened an important Motor Neurone Disease (or ALS) centre in the UK.

Prince William opened the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease (MND) at Seacroft Hospital in Leeds on 20 November.

The Prince spent time with patients and families at the centre and received a tour from Dr Jung. He also spent time with Rob Burrow’s family and friends, including his wife and three children.

Picture by Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace

The new centre is named after Rob Burrow, a rugby player, who died from the disease in June 2024. The new facility was an idea of Burrow’s, who wanted to create a place where patients are treated as people, not conditions. Prince William had promised Burrow that he would open the centre upon its completion.

It sets a remarkable precedent for future facilities as it is the first purpose-built centre dedicated entirely to MND care, research, education and holistic support in the UK.

Kensington Palace said of the new centre, “The Centre aims to lead the way in transforming MND diagnosis and care. Supporting all aspects of the patient’s journey, the new facility creates comfortable and peaceful surroundings for patients and their families.”

The Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease is a new world-leading facility dedicated to researching, diagnosing and caring for those with MND, which is called ALS in the United States.

Picture by Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace

The Mayo Clinic describes ALS this way: “ALS often begins with muscle twitching and weakness in an arm or leg, trouble swallowing or slurred speech. Eventually, ALS affects control of the muscles needed to move, speak, eat and breathe. There is no cure for this fatal disease.”

Symptoms vary from person to person, with most developing issues in their extremities. However, in its most progressive state, the illness begins where it ends – in the mouth, throat and lungs.

You can learn more about ALS from the Mayo Clinic here.

Royals from across Europe have taken part in events and charitable endeavours to raise awareness for the disease, most recently Princess Ariane of the Netherlands.

A full list of those helping in the fight against ALS can be found here.