Duchess of Cambridge gives first public speech at hospice

THE Duchess of Cambridge overcame self-confessed nerves to give her first public speech yesterday.

She described the experience as “nerve-racking” minutes after receiving a rousing reception for the address which had praised the work of one of her charities.

In a speech to launch the new Ipswich centre for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (Each) the Duchess sounded a little apprehensive at times but maintained her confidence.

Graham Butland, Each’s chief executive, described how his royal patron had spent time with families and their seriously ill children and had posed for a picture with a terminally-ill youngster and his parents at the new Treehouse hospice.

Mr Butland did not name the family but said the Duchess’s actions would mean a lot to them.

He said: “She was absolutely magnificent with the children and families, she seems to have the ability to just drop into a group of people and immediately be able to establish a rapport.

“She spent ten minutes with a family where the child was very, very ill.”

He added: “We left it up to them whether they wanted to see her, we liaised with the palace and mum said would it be possible to have a photo just for the memories.

“When the child does pass on they will have a wonderful memory.”

The Duchess told her audience: “You have all made me feel so welcome and I feel hugely honoured to be here to see this wonderful centre.

“For many, this is a home from home – a lifeline, enabling families to live as normally as possible during a very precious period of time.

“What you do is inspirational, it is a shining example of the support and the care that is delivered, not just here, but in the children’s hospice movement at large, up and down the country.”