In a heartwarming moment, Princess Kate stopped her royal convoy to speak with a little girl, much to the delight of the child and her family, on Thursday.
While leaving a knitwear and sock-making factory in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, Kate noticed three-year-old Lily-Rose calling out “hello princess” from the crowd.
Princess Kate shares heartwarming moment with child on visit
In an unexpected move, the Princess of Wales, 43, had her convoy pull over, stepped out of the car and jogged over to meet Lily-Rose.
Her family sounded stunned as Kate’s car stopped and the princess got out.
“I heard you say ‘hello’ from all the way back there and I wanted to come and see you,” Princess Kate told the excited little girl, who eagerly handed her a toy banana.
Lily-Rose’s mother, Stacey Chorley, expressed her amazement at the unexpected interaction.
I heard you say ‘hello’ from all the way back there and I wanted to come and see you.
“It was so exciting, we had no idea that was going to happen.” She gushed, according to BBC. “Kate was so lovely, she’s very natural and down to earth.”
The moment was particularly unexpected because royal convoys rarely stop after engagements. This makes this spontaneous interaction all the more special for Lily-Rose and her family.
“I hope this is one of the things Lily-Rose will remember,” Stacey continued.
As Princess Kate handed the toy banana back to Lily-Rose, the young girl playfully tossed it to the floor, prompting Kate to bend down and retrieve it with a smile.
Kate follows in Princess Diana’s footsteps to become patron of children’s hospice
Earlier that same day, Princess Kate had another significant visit – this time at Tŷ Hafan children’s hospice in Sully, Vale of Glamorgan.
There, she met with children living with life-shortening conditions and their families.
This visit was a particularly special one as Kate has taken on the role of patron of the hospice, following in the footsteps of her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana.
Tŷ Hafan, which provides essential care and support to children and their families, welcomed Kate as their new patron.
Irfon Rees, the chief executive of the charity, expressed his honour in having the princess visit.
“We are deeply honoured that Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales has become patron of Tŷ Hafan,” he said. “It was an absolute pleasure to welcome Her Royal Highness to our hospice for the first time today.”
The Princess of Wales has ‘special’ interaction with family
Kate’s visit to Tŷ Hafan was especially meaningful for the Taylor family, who have been supported by the hospice.
Emily and James Taylor spent two weeks at Tŷ Hafan with their daughter Violet before she died.
Emily shared the profound impact the hospice had on their family, calling it a “safety net” and saying: “They are amazing. I know they are going to be there for us for life.”
Emily also expressed the significance of meeting Princess Kate, calling the interaction “so special”.
“We are just one of the hundreds of families that Tŷ Hafan has supported, so to have someone like the Princess of Wales come here and be able to talk to her about our daughter it feels very profound,” she expressed, according to the BBC. “I think it’s a day we are going to remember forever.”
Read more: Princess Kate follows in Diana’s footsteps as she becomes patron of children’s hospice
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