Prince William fulfils a promise to late Leeds Rhinos legend Rob Burrow as he opens new MND centre in his name

Prince William has officially opened the new Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in Leeds, praising its impact as the first of its kind.

It was in a "sweaty, smelly" rugby changing room that the former Leeds Rhinos player, who died from the disease last year, first asked him to do this.

And as he spoke directly to the family and three young children he leaves behind, Prince William told them: "Rob's legacy will live on.

"You guys should be so proud of your father because he really was an incredibly brave, very special man. This is a world-leading centre, that is going to save a lot of lives.

"For that you should be very proud."

The new centre, at Seacroft Hospital in Leeds, is dedicated to the diagnosis, research and care of MND.

It was Rob Burrow himself that set out a determination to create a place such as this, treating patients as people, not conditions.

Now the new centre is filled with special places. A family room, for children and relatives. A quiet space for staff, and a garden of reflection.

There is cutting-edge research underway, to build a better future. One where treatments are advanced, alongside tools to capture people's voices, before it's too late.

Rob Burrow died last year at the age of 41, having lived with MND since his diagnosis in 2019.

Fundraising in his name was led by Leeds Hospitals Charity and Rob's consultant Dr Agam Jung, topping £6.8m.

Coach Kevin Sinfield, and the entire Leeds Rhinos' community, were among those to back it.

Now, five years since the seed first took root and 18 months after the first spade hit the ground, the centre is officially open.

A sapling from the sycamore gap tree is to be planted next week.

Some 17,000 people have donated to make this happen, including 1,026 Leeds Marathon runners.

"It seems like yesterday we were here, trying to pick a site," reflected Kevin Sinfield, who has now raised more than £10m for MND charities.

"There's lots of dreams set out and you're never quite sure if they'll come true."

An extra £1.64m was eventually raised over target, with £230,000 of this paying for two UK-first early diagnosis research projects. They will help change the world.

"To see the kindness and generosity of people who have contributed to this building, to see the fruits of that and what they've created, is incredible," said Mr Sinfield. "Rob would be so proud of it. He'd have loved to see it today."

Prince William, touring the facility with Dr Jung, was able to spend time with patients and families as well as those who have fought to make this happen.

He also met with Rob’s family and friends, his wife Lindsey Burrow and their children Macy, Maya and Jackson.

The three children, as he sat down to meet with them, were playing a card game of Dobble to which the Prince was clearly familiar.

He spoke with each of them, asking questions about what they thought of the centre. He added gently: "I'm so proud of you guys. You've done all the hard work and it's going to help a lot of people."

And to donors, whose private funding has accelerated the project with vast sums in donations, he spoke of the impact: "There's nothing else like it - this is world-leading."

Rob Burrow and Kevin Sinfield had first met with the Prince as they were both presented with CBEs at Headingley Stadium in January 2024 for their services to MND.

It was in the changing room before they went out to the pitch that he agreed to do this.

"He's kept his promise," said Rob's widow Lindsey Burrow. "He's kept his word. To have him here today is a huge honour and privilege. It just shows his kindness and consideration.

"He wrote to us after we lost Rob and it was a really heartfelt message. That was something we take a lot of comfort from."

She takes her own strength and resilience from Rob, she added. He inspired confidence in them all.

"He showed us how to be brave, he showed us how to be courageous," she added. "He was ever so positive.

"He never felt sorry for himself, he never showed self pity, he just wanted to make the most of each and every day and be here as long as he possibly could.

"When you see what Rob was going through, and what he has had taken away from him, it puts life into perspective."

The Prince, wearing a tweed jacket with a maroon tie, had swept Lindsey up into a warm embrace as he first arrived at the centre. Geoff Burrow, Rob's father, warmly shook his hand.

The Prince was relaxed as he met with nurses and patients, keen to hear of advances from clinical leads.

One man, Ian Flatt, has raised almost £100,000 by scaling mountains and completing marathons in his all-terrain wheelchair.

As the visit drew to a close Burrow's youngest, son Jackson, enthusiastically rang the bell that Kevin Sinfield has rung at the beginning of every single challenge he's done.

And as the Prince took centre stage, he thanked everyone's efforts in making this happen. It's been a pleasure, he added, to get to know the family and to follow their journey.

The building he described as "incredible", the fundraising efforts "above and beyond".

"With the support of Kev and others, you have been stalwarts really in making sure this centre will come about from what I'm sure was a very difficult moment in your life when you all understood what it was and what was going to happen," he said.

"I'm honoured to be here today and to see it up and running. An incredible fundraising effort by a huge team of people. And none more so than Kevin - and his knees and his hips - which have taken a battering.

"I can't commend enough the people who have put this centre together."

There was a crowd of supporters to watch and cheer the fundraisers on.

And finally, after the Prince left, there was just one more surprise still to come. A large present he discreetly left behind, to be unwrapped by the three Burrow children.

It revealed a Ninja coffee maker he had bought for the centre’s staff, asking if there was anything he, personally, could do to help.

In the note that came with it, the Prince had written: "Wishing you a well deserved moment of pause. I hope this brings a little warmth to your days. Best wishes, William."

Kevin Sinfield is to start his '7 in 7: Together’ challenge in December, surpassing 1,000 miles run for charity.

With about 10 days to go, he said, it adds fuel to his campaigning.

"It shows what can be created when people come together for a great cause," he said.

Thanking the people of Yorkshire and Leeds, and indeed nationwide, he said: "I suppose it's our adopted city, and we're just incredibly proud of the support we've had.

"To see people line the streets on the marathon, to see the support, and just the generosity and kindness.

"I think everybody fell in love with the Burrow family," he added. "It really resonated, because this is a proper family."