Princess Kate Is Being Compared to Princess Diana for This "Priceless" Quality During Children's Hospice Visit
The Princess of Wales is following in her late mother-in-law's footsteps.
Princess Kate touched the hearts of Welsh children and families facing difficult circumstances on Thursday, Jan. 30, adding the Tŷ Hafan children's hospice to her list of royal patronages. Following the visit, the Princess of Wales has been praised for her "warming and easy" demeanor that brings to mind her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana.
"You can tell she is a mom," Alex Forbes, whose 12-year-old son, Felix is being treated at the hospice, told People of Princess Kate. Alex and husband Dan, along with daughters Lottie, 9, and Maggie, 4, interacted with the royal—who also visited a textile factory during Thursday's trip to Wales—and even got in on some hand painting action.
"It was easy to see in the way she was so engaging with the girls," Alex continued. "She was lovely. She got Lottie to come in and asked, 'Do you want to paint my hand?'"
Dan added that he was reminded of Princess Diana as he spoke to the royal and watched her with his daughters. "Diana is always thought of as the royal who had a people touch and had the ability to build rapport and bond with people today,” the father of three said. “You could see that today with the princess."
The princess let 9-year-old Lottie, whose brother, Felix, is being treated at the hospice, paint her hand during the visit.
Kate shared a sweet moment with Lottie's 4-year-old sister, Maggie, at the hospice.
Dan said Princess Kate "put people at ease immediately" and rather than being intimidated by a member of the Royal Family, it felt like "talking to another mother, first and foremost."
He added that the human touch she brought "is priceless for families like us, feeling like you are speaking to someone you can relate to." Of her "really warming and easy" interaction with Kate, mom Alex said the princess got "bashful" Maggie to let her paint the 4-year-old's hand.
Like Kate today, Princess Diana was known for her work with children, and visited numerous hospitals over the years as well as serving as president of the Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital.
Princess Kate—who also serves as patron of East Anglia's Children's Hospices in England—followed in Diana's footsteps in another way with her visit to Tŷ Hafan. She was named as its patron on Jan. 30, taking over the role from her father-in-law, The King, who had previously served in the role for nearly 25 years.
However, it was Princess Diana who signed on to be the organization's first royal patron, and she served as an advocate for the charity, which became Wales's first children's hospice. Sadly, the late royal died before the hospice was completed, but her memory lives on through the now-Princess of Wales's work.
The Forbes family pointed out that what Tŷ Hafan does for siblings like Maggie and Lottie was “really important for that part of the family," adding, "It is one of so many things that they do, and to have the princess to help raise the profile of what they do here is just phenomenal.”
