Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, gave her first public speech as a member of the royal family on Monday. The three-minute address, which she wrote herself, was made in Ipswitch at the opening of The Treehouse, a hospice facility for children. The program is operated by East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices, of which the Duchess is a patron.

She was clearly nervous as she spoke to hospice employees, checking her notes after nearly every sentence. Poised and well-spoken nonetheless, she congratulated the staff and reflected on what she has learned about children’s hospice care.

“When I first visited the hospice in Milton, I had a pre-conceived idea as to what to expect. Far from being a clinical, depressing place for sick children, it was a home. Most importantly, it was a family home, a happy place of stability, support and care. It was a place of fun.

What you have all achieved here is extraordinary. You as a community have built the Treehouse; a group of people who have made every effort to support and help each other.

What you do is inspirational, it is a shining example of the support and the care that is delivered, not just here, but in the children’s hospice movement at large, up and down the country.”

The Duchess wore a blue dress by Reiss, borrowed from her mother Carole Middleton, for the occasion.

Video Source: HuffPostUK

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