Kate Middleton will champion a cause close to her heart when she visits a Manchester primary school to launch a counselling programme on 23 April. The Duchess of Cambridge, who will be more than six months pregnant at the time of the visit, will meet children in private who have used the charity Place2Be's services. The new counselling programme that Kate will launch is part of the work which the Royal Foundation, of which Kate, Prince William and Prince Harry are patrons, does.
The mum-to-be will also meet staff and volunteers from the Place2Be charity and teachers and parents from The Willows Primary School in Wythenshawe in the south of Manchester. The Royal Foundation, which Kate joined when she married William in April 2011, are working with Comic Relief, Place2Be and Action on Addiction to reduce the impact of addiction on children and their families. Lots of Kate's work sees her interacting with youngsters and they are more often than not enthralled by the prospect of meeting a 'real life princess'.
She brings a smile to their faces and she always leaves a lasting impression. Here are some of our favourite quotes from little ones who have experienced the duchess's magic touch. "We had a letter at school telling us Kate was coming and we were all very excited when she walked into our art class. I thought she might have been wearing a crown. She wasn't, but she still looked pretty. She was really tall and had very high heels on." - Jaydn Proffitt, seven"Kate was even prettier than I thought, just like a princess. "I felt shy when I found out I was going to meet her, but I wasn't shy when I saw her. She has a lovely smile." - Bethany Woods, ten"I couldn’t believe it was a real-life princess! She’s very pretty. "We flipped pancakes together and I ate three. Syrup is my favourite thing to have on top, but we just had them plain." - Ellie Tang, six