As she continues to resume a fuller calendar of engagements after her cancer battle, Princess Kate Middleton visited a children’s hospice in Wales that was close to King Charles III and the late Princess Diana.
The Princess of Wales, 43, visited Tŷ Hafan Children’s Hospice in Sully near Cardiff, Wales on Thursday, January 30, according to a Buckingham Palace press release issued to Us Weekly. Middleton was named patron of the charity on the same day.
Middleton took over the role from father-in-law King Charles III, 76, who had been patron of the hospice since 2001. The late Princess Diana was also a patron during the charity’s initial fundraising stage.
However, Diana wasn’t able to see the impact the charity had when it opened as Wales’ first children’s hospice in 1999, two years after her death.
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“We are deeply honoured that Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales has become Patron of Tŷ Hafan and it was an absolute pleasure to welcome Her Royal Highness to our hospice for the first time today,” Irfon Rees, chief executive of Tŷ Hafan, said in a statement.
“As our Patron, Her Royal Highness will be an inspiration for children with life-shortening conditions and their families, our dedicated staff and volunteers and everyone who so generously supports us,” Rees said.
“No parent ever imagines that their child’s life will be short. Sadly this is the reality facing thousands of families in Wales. We can’t stop this happening, but together we can make sure that no one lives their child’s short life alone,” the statement concluded.
Middleton spent time with children, families, and members of staff during her visit to the hospice.
It’s an important cause for Middleton, who has centered many of her royal duties and projects around childhood development. In 2021, she launched the Royal Foundation Center for Early Childhood “to raise awareness of why the first five years of life are just so important for our future life outcomes.”
The engagement comes after Middleton and Prince William met with Holocaust survivors for Holocaust Memorial Day on Monday, January 27.
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The royal is slowly getting re-adjusted with royal duties after announcing her cancer was in remission on January 14.
In an interview for Us Weekly’s latest cover story, royal historian Marlene Koenig said Middleton is “not a person who likes to sit on her hands.”
“She’s shown such grace. Even in her illness, she recognized the responsibility of her privilege and did what she could, whether it was just a word of comfort or a message or speaking to people involved with her different charities,” Koenig said.
Meanwhile, a source told Us that “all eyes are on Kate” during her return to work.
“Part of the issue is she’s so popular and gets so much attention. It’s like any royal event she attends has a halo around it and goes well, so the public wants as much of her as possible,” the source said.
