Kate Middleton Spends Day in Wales in Third Public Appearance of the Year
Kate Middleton's gradual return to public duties is continuing today as she is spending the day in Wales. The Princess is making a solo visit to South Wales to carry out two visits to showcase the work of organizations which the Palace described as close to her heart.
'Her Royal Highness' visits will focus on spotlighting the wellbeing of children and families as well as celebrating excellence in Welsh textiles manufacturing – both of which are themes close to The Princess' heart,' Kensington Palace said in a statement about the day. Kate's first stop is the Tŷ Hafan children's hospice near to Cardiff, which opened in 1999 and supports families in Wales to ensure that children with life-shortening conditions live fulfilling lives. The Princess was due to take part in a 'stay and play' session at the hospice as well as meet with bereaved families being supported by Tŷ Hafan.
As she arrived, Kensington Palace announced on social media that Kate has become Patron of the hospice. "A proud moment becoming Patron of Tŷ Hafan. Opening in 1999 as Wales' first children's hospice, @tyhafan continues to provide specialist care to children with life-shortening conditions, offering vital support to them and their families, throughout life, at end of life, and beyond," the Palace posted on X. Princess Diana was Patron of the charity when it was in its fundraising stages and King Charles was Patron from 2001 when he was Prince of Wales. This area of work has been a focus for Kate since beginning of her royal life. When she took on her first tranche of patronages in 2012, East Anglia's Children's Hospices was among them.
This is Kate's third public outing of the year. On January 14, she made an official visit to the Royal Marsden hospital and opened up about some of the chemotherapy treatment she received there last year for an undisclosed form of cancer. On Holocaust Memorial Day on Monday, she joined William meeting with Holocaust survivors at an event in London. For both visits, her attendance was announced publicly at the last minute, and today her arrival in Wales was also under embargo until she appeared.
Kensington Palace has emphasized that the Princess's return to official duties will be gradual and dependent on how she feels. She has made it repeatedly clear that her health and her family remain her priority. Prince William said last year that she would hopefully be joining him on trips in 2025. Kate is expected to focus on her key areas of interest, such as the Early Years, as well as moments of national interest where the royal family plays an important role.
You Might Also Like
12 Weekend Getaway Spas For Every Type of Occasion
13 Beauty Tools to Up Your At-Home Facial Game
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Kate Middleton's ‘ruthless discipline' and no-nonsense approach set the tone for her future as queen: expert
Kate Middleton's unshakable resilience and 'ruthless' discipline are forging her path to become a future queen, a royal expert has said. The Princess of Wales, 43, is said to hold significant influence over the House of Windsor — and is already gearing up for her husband Prince William's ascension to the throne. According to a royal commentator, the beloved royal's no-nonsense approach to decision-making within the Firm has prepared her for the future. 'Her emphasis on a ruthless discipline in her regimented daily routine and commitment to self-improvement has helped her,' Hilary Fordwich told Fox News. 'She divides her time meticulously between parenting, supporting the heir to the throne, and her royal duties and manages to fit in an intense workout regime.' 'Regarding her three children, she can combine tradition with a modern, more middle-class approach to family,' she added. 'This, on top of her dedication to duty, is seen as essential for the monarchy's relevance and continuity.' It comes just days after a well-placed royal source told People that Princess Catherine is the most popular member of the British royal family. 'She takes things seriously — and thank goodness for that,' a palace insider told the outlet. Simon Lewis, a former Buckingham Palace communications chief, said that the mom of three is 'very much seen as a player at the center of team Windsor.' Elsewhere, royal author Valentine Low told the outlet that over the years, the princess had 'developed a toughness' that has helped her navigate royal life. 'She has this public image of being nice and smiley,' Low said. 'But she is strong-minded, strong-willed, and prepared to fight for what she wants and what she thinks is right.' Indeed, renowned royal expert and commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said that the future queen has been through the wringer, and has come out stronger as a result. 'The onset of a life-threatening illness can make a person tough,' he told Fox News, referring to Middleton's bout with cancer. 'When they have a clear goal, as Kate has, the maintaining of the monarchy and bringing up her family means the experience, although traumatic, can be used to advantage in the years ahead.' Fitzwilliams added that the princess 'needed confidence as a public speaker, which she now has.' 'She is a fashion icon, which she uses to enormous advantage. And she and William are so close, as their PDA clearly shows,' he went on. 'They are the monarchy's future. They work brilliantly as a team now, and they will continue to do so when William becomes king.'
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Yahoo
Wales is UK worst for surgical abortions, says charity
Wales is the worst part of the UK for providing surgical abortions with many women treated in England, according to a leading healthcare charity. The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) said it was "astonishing" Wales was behind Northern Ireland, where abortion was only decriminalised in 2019. One south Wales woman said she felt extra trauma and guilt at the thought of being sent away for the procedure - which involves an operation to remove the pregnancy from the womb. The Welsh government said it accepted improvements needed to be made for mid-trimester (13 to 27 weeks) abortion services, and women should be able to access essential healthcare services closer to home. Women from Wales have to travel to England for abortions Abortion laws are Victorian era, says grieving mum In Wales, England and Scotland abortion is allowed up to 24 weeks of pregnancy with the approval of two doctors. Abortion was decriminalised in Northern Ireland in 2019, and prior to that it was only allowed in very specific circumstances. Abortion care provider BPAS told BBC Wales that Northern Ireland now offered second trimester surgical abortions beyond 20 weeks, with Scotland offering services up to 20 weeks. However, in Wales there was "very limited provision after 14 weeks" it said, partly because of a "skills gap" and few doctors. Sarah, not her real name, found herself unexpectedly pregnant about two years ago. She was already a mum, and because she had experienced serious post-natal depression in the past, could not face going through with the pregnancy. Sarah, who is her late 30s, said she did not want a medical abortion because of an earlier miscarriage, but was told she could not have a surgical abortion locally because of an existing medical condition that meant she needed general anaesthetic. When she was around 16 weeks pregnant, she was offered the procedure in London with her travel and accommodation paid for for two nights. But she found the whole experience "really stressful". "There was a bigger sense of guilt, because I was being sent away," Sarah added. "I was imagining people with placards waving and shouting, I didn't know what hospital it would be. "Having to leave my two children – who I hadn't left for more than one night – what would we tell them, what would we do? It added a lot of extra stress and trauma." Sarah decided to continue with the pregnancy, describing it as a "really difficult time" until she was around 28 weeks. "Emotionally, it was the worst summer of my life," she said. What is surgical abortion? Surgical abortion involves an operation to remove the pregnancy from the womb It may be done with local anaesthetic, conscious sedation or general anaesthetic and, according to the NHS, the surgical method can be performed by vacuum or suction aspiration or by dilation and evacuation Medical abortions, which involve the use of drugs, accounted for 86% of abortions in Wales and England in 2022 Rachael Clarke from BPAS said each year about 175 women travel from Wales to England for care. "Many of these women don't want to speak out about what they experienced, they don't want to revisit it, and it makes it very easy for people to ignore the quite harrowing experiences," she said. The head of advocacy added it was often seen as the "easy option" to send women to a different service or country instead of accessing care closer to home. "A lot of that is down to clinical availability, but also premises," she said. "If you don't have space in a hospital, if you don't have a theatre, if you don't have a ward where women can go before and after that limits what you're able to provide." She added that there was a dangerous skills gap with a lack of doctors routinely performing surgical abortions, or procedures also used in mid-trimester miscarriage. The first women's health plan for Wales, published in December last year, lists abortion as a "fundamental aspect" of women's reproductive healthcare, stating it should be available "locally and without delay for all women" to reduce "complications, distress and cost". Funding and delivering services for mid-trimester abortion care is listed as a long-term goal, with a timescale of approximately six to 10 years. Ms Clarke described that timeline as "a kick in the guts". MS Sioned Williams said the women's health cross-party group had been asking the Welsh government to act since 2018. "It's important to me that when we say something is a health right, as it states in the new women's health plan, that there's action behind that to make it so, and that people are able to access abortions in a timely way," she said. The Plaid Cymru MS for South Wales West added she thought this could be easily changed because of the relatively small number of women who require this care. A spokesperson for the Welsh government accepted that improvements in mid-trimester abortion services need to be made, adding it fully acknowledges that women should be able to access essential healthcare services closer to home. "We are working with NHS Wales to identify and address the specific barriers to providing surgical abortion services locally and we are exploring what short-term improvements we can make while developing a robust, sustainable service for the future", they added.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Kate Middleton Steps Up for Preschoolers in Powerful New Move for Kids
Kate Middleton's Centre for Early Childhood announced a major new pilot to help put mental health support into preschools The early years are a crucial part of the Princess of Wales' public life, and she sees it as something she will continue with for decades to come The new initiative is being spearheaded by two leading British children's charitiesKate Middleton's mission to help support youngsters has taken a major step. Amid Infant Mental Health Awareness Week, the Princess of Wales' foundation announced that it is providing mental health services across an underprivileged part of London. In a groundbreaking new pilot, mental health workers will provide training and consultation to staff and families to support the social and emotional development of babies and young children in two early education settings in Tower Hamlets and Hackney. It will see around 150 babies, young children and their families supported over the year-long pilot. "Happy Little Minds" is being spearheaded by two leading children's charities in Britain, Barnardo's and Place2Be (of which Kate is the patron). The non-profits will provide bespoke training and consultation about social and emotional development to around 50 early education practitioners at two nursery schools, classrooms that typically cater to children aged 3 and 4, in the two boroughs. They will also provide help for parents and carers, working directly with some children and families. It is Princess Kate's lasting and ongoing mission to underscore the importance of social and emotional development for enabling babies and young children to be mentally healthy, both in the short term and in order to provide long-lasting impact for their lives. The royal mom of three is helping spread the message that the span from infancy to 5 years old is the most crucial in terms of brain development and the foundations are laid for all that is to follow. Often, mental health problems in later life have their roots in early childhood and early intervention with babies, and Princess Kate set up the Centre for Early Childhood to funnel this work. Christian Guy, Executive Director of The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, said in a statement, 'Early education and childcare settings can play such an important and influential role in supporting children and their families at such a vital time, in all sorts of ways." 'If settings are well-supported to promote social and emotional development in babies and young children, there is huge potential to positively impact all children, and for early intervention and prevention of future mental health conditions in those most at risk, which could be truly transformational both for individuals and society," he said. 'Place2Be and Barnardo's have such a wealth of experience to offer, and this pilot is an important step forward in understanding more about how this can be delivered to best effect," Guy added. Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! The idea for the new initiative started at the Shaping Us National Symposium in November 2023, when an infant mental health expert from Barnardo's had a discussion with Catherine Roche, Chief Executive of Place2Be. The pair then developed the idea and approached the Foundation for funding. Part of the package given to staff will be The Centre for Early Childhood's The Shaping Us Framework, which she launched in February, which is aimed at improving awareness of and knowledge about social and emotional skills to inspire action across society. In 2023, it funded a trial of an observation tool for health visitors, known internationally as the Alarm Distress Baby Scale (ADBB). In May, Princess Kate's bid to extend the initiative into the business world also bore fruit. A collection of major companies, from NatWest Bank to IKEA and the Co-op, showed how they are rolling out programs designed to better support parents and help children thrive, such as increasing paternity leave. Read the original article on People
