The Princess of Wales has hailed children's hospices, calling them a "shining light" to families during their "darkest times".
Mum-of-three Kate, 41, released a personal letter on Monday to mark Children's Hospice Week in her role as patron of East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH).
The royal wrote: "With 99,000 seriously ill children across the country, children's hospices work tirelessly to provide life-changing care to families with the aim of making unbelievably difficult situations that little bit easier.
"As Patron of East Anglia’s Children's Hospices, I have been privileged to see first-hand the incredible way hospices help families and allow children to be children."
She continued: "During Children's Hospice Week, all hospices will be doing what they do day in day out - delivering vital specialist care, and whether that is by helping to facilitate a day at the beach for children to feel the sand between their toes, engaging young people in therapeutic music activities, or having a fun painting session to create special moments and memories, the teams supporting these families regularly go above and beyond to make a difference to their lives, no matter how long or short they may be.
"On behalf of parents and carers across the country, I would like to say a huge thank you to all those working in Children's Hospices. You are a shining light to so many families in their darkest times and your efforts do not go unnoticed. This Children's Hospice Week, I hope you'll join me in celebrating the truly extraordinary teamwork that goes into providing this incredible care."
Children's Hospice Week is led nationally by Together for Short Lives, the UK wide charity for children's palliative care. It is the only week of the year dedicated to raising awareness of children’s hospice services across the UK.
Kate has been royal patron of EACH since 2012, and made her very first public speech that year as she opened The Treehouse in Ipswich. Take a look back at her milestone moment in the clip below...
In 2019, she opened EACH's new centre The Nook in Framingham, Norfolk, following a £10m appeal she helped to launch in 2014.
The Princess made a return visit in June 2020, joining families to plant a new patio garden and transform the terrace area, and she opened EACH's shop in Holt, Norfolk, in March 2016.
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© GettyHer most recent EACH visit came during last year's Children's Hospice Week, when she was joined by The Prince of Wales to meet families, staff and supporters at Milton.
© Keith Jones / Cambridge NewsEACH's Chief Executive Phil Gormley praised the princess' support, saying: "Children's Hospice Week is a hugely significant opportunity to celebrate the work we do, supporting families and caring for children and young people with life-threatening conditions.
"It is also a platform for raising awareness and reminding everyone of the need for public support, given that we rely on donations for the majority of our income.
© Getty"With this in mind, we are so grateful for The Princess' invaluable contribution as Royal Patron. Her work, visits and profile have projected our charity – as well as the importance of children’s hospice services generally - onto the global stage and for that we are truly thankful."
© Getty
© GettyKate's heartfelt message comes after she joined the royal family for the King's birthday parade – Trooping the Colour – in central London on Saturday, where she wowed in an emerald green Andrew Gn dress.
And on Sunday, Kensington Palace shared an adorable family photo of Prince William and his children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, to mark Father's Day.
