NEED TO KNOW<\/p>\n
Kate Middleton<\/a> is showing her support for kids\u2019 hospices in a poignant week.\n<\/p>\n In a new message issued on Friday, June 20, the Princess of Wales praised how hospices \u201clift the spirits\u201d and support seriously ill children and their families through \u201clife, death and beyond.\u201d\n<\/p>\n She said it was an \u201cimmense privilege\u201d seeing the work up close of two hospices, with\u00a0East Anglia\u2019s Children\u2019s Hospices<\/a> and T\u0177 Hafan Children\u2019s Hospice, during her visits as their patron.\n<\/p>\n It came in a week when Princess Kate, 43, dropped out<\/a> of an expected visit to the Royal Ascot race meeting on Wednesday. Kate is still managing her return to public-facing duties amid her recovery from cancer treatment.\n<\/p>\n In her message on June 20, Kate wrote, \u201cNo parent expects to hear that their child has a serious health condition that could shorten their life. Sadly, this is the reality faced by thousands of families across the country, leaving them heartbroken, fearful of the future and often desperately isolated.”\n<\/p>\n \u201cBeing able to access the support of one of the U.K.\u2019s 54 children\u2019s hospices means they don\u2019t have to face that future alone,” she added.<\/p>\n Kate Middleton visiting The Treehouse, run by EACH in Ipswich, Suffolk, U.K.<\/p>\n Mark Cuthbert\/UK Press via Getty<\/p>\n \u201cAs Patron of East Anglia\u2019s Children\u2019s Hospices and T\u0177 Hafan Children\u2019s Hospice in South Wales, I have the immense privilege of seeing for myself the extraordinary work of our children\u2019s hospices,” she said. “Lifting spirits through laughter, fun and play, as well as listening, holding, caring and sharing, they support children and families through life, death and beyond.”\n<\/p>\n “This Children\u2019s Hospice Week, I hope you will join me in celebrating the life-changing work they do and thanking them for the vital care they provide to children and families experiencing the most challenging times,” Kate concluded.\n<\/p>\n Support for children’s hospices has been an ever-present part of Princess Kate’s public work since she started in public life soon after marrying Prince William in 2011. She has also visited hospices around the world during her overseas tours.\n<\/p>\n During Children\u2019s Hospice Week, which ends on June 22, the charity Together for Short Lives brings together the vital services to celebrate the incredible work they do for seriously ill children and their families.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Kate made her first visit to T\u0177 Hafan<\/a> in January, spending more time than she was scheduled, crouching down, talking to youngsters and their families and joining in with the game<\/a>s. T\u0177 Hafan \u2014 which means “Haven House” in Welsh \u2014 is located in Sully, South Wales, and was built with the support of\u00a0Prince William’s\u00a0late mother,\u00a0Princess Diana<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n