ROYAL EMBRACE Kate gives hugs as she meets ‘brave’ kids with life-limiting conditions at hospice where she made first speech as royal
ROYAL EMBRACE Kate gives hugs as she meets ‘brave’ kids with life-limiting conditions at hospice where she made first speech as royal
THE Princess of Wales gave hugs to kids with life-limiting conditions at The Treehouse children’s hospice in Ipswich.
Kate, Patron of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH), opened the hospice in 2012.
The princess met with children and parents today, and visited the expanded areas of the hospital, such as the hydrotherapy pool, suites, areas for teenagers and extra bedrooms and kitchens.
The unit provides short breaks and palliative support for children and young people with life-limiting conditions, and bereavement support for families.
After chatting with the children for nearly an hour, Kate was taken to the music therapy room, where she listened to youngsters play music.
Thirteen-year-old Charlotte Freegard, who had a rare muscle disorder called Nemaline Myopathy, sang Perfect by Ed Sheeran through a microphone for Kate.
The Princess of Wales clapped and told Charlotte she was “brilliant”, before perching next to the girl, where she said: “Charlotte, that was beautifully sung. Well done you.”
Kate said it was good for the children to have so much musical equipment and asked Charlotte: “You’re able to express yourself and really enjoy yourself?” to which the girl replied: “Definitely.”
Kate also met four-year-old Primrose Harvey, who has a rare congenital heart defect called hypoplastic right-heart syndrome, and her parents who regularly bring her to The Treehouse.
The princess heard that the young girl had already gone through three heart surgeries, including one at six days old and one two weeks ago.
Kate told Primrose’s mother: “Super brave girl and brave parents too.”
The girl’s mother, Mrs Harvey, said it was “lovely” to speak to the Princess about her daughter, and the help they receive from the hospice.
She said: “It was really lovely just to talk about, you know, how amazing Each is for us as a family.
“It’s really nice for her to come here and see first-hand how much they do for families.”
Freddie Ormrod, 11, who has the mitochondrial genetic disorder Leigh syndrome, which causes epileptic seizures and profound physical disability, played chimes and a tambourine for Kate.
Freddie’s father James joked with the princess, telling her there was only so long he could listen to the chimes.
Kate responded to James as she said: “It is noisy. Often in our household, the noisier the instrument the better.”
Kate wore a dark green blazer and trousers as she donned a white hard hat and orange high-vis to visit the construction site where the hospice is expanding.
The expansion includes a new new hydrotherapy pool, a wellbeing and therapies suite, and a new bedroom that will be completed in 2028.
In between the tour, she spoke meaningfully with a group of bereaved families who told her the importance of having someone to talk to after losing a child.
Sam Morley, who has been attending the bereavement group since her 17-year-old son Euan, who had a degenerative neurological condition, died two years ago, said Kate was “very interested and very empathetic”.
Ms Morley said: “She was asking a lot about the bereavement support for not only us but other siblings and things like that.”
She said Euan “loved” coming to The Treehouse hospice, adding: “He absolutely loved music. That was our big thing.”
