On Wednesday, the Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Anne teamed up to pay a visit to the new headquarters of the Royal College for Obstetrics and Gynaecology, marking their first public engagement together.
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The visit to the London HQ was for the royals to learn how the organisations are working together to improve maternal health care and the occasion marked a rare occurrence of the Duchess speaking out about mental health.
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Following the visit, a heartfelt message appeared on the Duchess and Prince William's Twitter, reading: "It is vital that women feel listened to and supported at such a significant time in their lives."
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The message explained: "This new building illustrates the importance of sector collaboration in finding solutions to improve maternal healthcare. We heard about the ways in which the @MidwivesRCM and the @RCObsGyn working together to tackle inequalities in maternity care and ensure all women can get the best care possible."
The Duchess' followers were quick to heap praise on both her and Princess Anne, writing: "Wonderful engagement, so lovely to see Princess Anne and Catherine together, I hope we see more engagements with them together in the future," while another penned: "I just love seeing these two strong women together!"
© Photo: Getty ImagesKate and Princess Anne made their first apperance together
While Prince William has spoken openly about his mental health in the past, Duchess Kate has been less vocal, though mental health is a cause close to her heart, evidenced by her patronage of Place2Be, a children’s mental health charity that provides counselling and emotional support to children and teachers, since 2013.
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Kate is also patron of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), while Princess Anne is patron of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), hence their joint engagement.
© Photo: Getty ImagesPrincess Anne and Duchess Kate's first appearance together was well received
Kate became patron of RCOG in 2018 and made early childhood development, including during pregnancy, a key focus of her public work.
The Princess and the Duchess joined a roundtable discussion with experts and new mums to hear how inequalities in maternity care are being tackled. They also heard about the pioneering work being done to improve gynaecological skills worldwide.
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