London, Apr 24 (IANS): Dressed in blue, the UK's Prince William, his wife Kate Middleton and their three children joined for the fifth week in a row, joined a nationwide round of applause thanking NHS workers on the frontlines of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

On Thursday night, the family took to their doorstep at their Norfolk home, Anmer Hall, for the weekly tradition to show appreciation for NHS staff and those working on the frontlines of the pandemic, reports the Metro newspaper.

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, who are currently staying at their Scottish home Birkhall, also took part in the applause.

Also on Thursday, Prince William appeared in a comedy skit with Stephen Fry prior to the 8 p.m. clap.

During the exchange, he said that homeschooling his children had proved "a bit of a nightmare, really".

At Daisy Hill hospital in Newry, a convoy of dozens of buses drove past and sounded their horns in appreciation of healthcare workers.

Nurses and doctors, some joined by family members, came out of the hospital to watch the noisy thank you from Translink drivers, said the newspaper report.

But hundreds of social media users expressed outrage after crowds of people ignored social distancing rules and descended on Westminster Bridge for the nationwide applause.

The weekly tradition was started by Dutch national Annemarie Plas, a 36-year-old mother of one who originally thought her show of support for frontline workers might end up being just her and a few friends sharing a moment on FaceTime.

As of Friday, the UK has reported 139,246 coronavirus cases with 18,791 deaths.