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At Rainbow Place Children’s Hospice, The Duchess was greeted by
crowds from the small town of Hamilton. Some of the young
girls at Rainbow Place had dressed up as princesses and one young
girl said that Kate had made her feel like a princess as she
chatted with numerous children at the hospice, showing her natural
people skills.
The centre is only small, but offers day counselling, as well as
overnight stays for families of the young patients. The Duchess
observed an Art Therapy session before meeting with patients and
their families.
Back in the UK, Catherine is patron of East Anglia Children’s
Hospices, one of her first patronages since she married Prince
William; the Ipswich branch where she made her first public speech.
It is said The Duchess has made children’s hospices her mission on
her tour Down Under because there are so few in
Australasia.
Kate acknowledged the special nature of the hospice by saying:
“I’m sure you’re all going through difficult times and so it’s
really good to have a place like this, I’m sure, to be able to talk
about your feelings and to meet other people who are going through
the same thing. There should be more places like this”.
Asked by a 14-year-old patient whether she eats
her vegetables, Kate laughed and said she did but admitted
that “it was a problem getting George to eat them.” She continued,
saying that she and William had to mash up all his vegetables so he
wouldn’t notice. As a guest at an Alice in Wonderland themed
tea-party, the menu for the patients and The Duchess
included jellied eyeballs, huhu grubs, flower pots of sweet
chocolate mud and crispy chicken lolly pops: perhaps vegetables are
a little more palatable!
Prince William enjoyed a more intimate engagement, also in
Hamilton, with the press being kept at a distance, so The Duke
could speak openly with people there. One young girl was stung by a
bee just a few minutes before William arrived and it is
reported that William consoled her as he chatted with crowds,
showing he is just as good with the children as his wife.
Pacific Aerospace makes small aircraft, often used for skydives,
and aerial tours of New Zealand, and was established after the
Second World War. As an ex-RAF Search and Rescue Pilot, William
naturally takes an interest in aviation, and was seen squeezing
into a vintage plane in Blenheim a few days ago.
After meeting up again in Cambridge, the Royal couple visited
the local War Memorial and placed two single roses upon it. The
Cambridges then opened a new Avantidrome in the town, which is
named after the second Duke of Cambridge, who was Queen Victoria’s
cousin.
It was here that they met with New Zealand cyclist Olympians. Eric
Murray, a Kiwi gold medallist, said it was “a bit surreal that the
couple came to Cambridge…We have a special link with the sovereign
here. It’s wonderful. They were saying they want to get George into
rowing because he’s got long legs.” William and Catherine were also
gifted with biking lycras for Prince George, as well as a small
bike. This comes a day after receiving a small dinghy as a gift for
the young prince.
The Duke and Duchess then met with the thousands of people who had
gathered to meet them in Cambridge on another walkabout. One cheeky
youngster asked William what it was like to sing with Taylor Swift,
whilst Catherine revealed, in response to a compliment on her
outfit, that her husband thought that her Erdem emerald green coat
was a bit too bright! The Duchess wore the coat with a green
and white patterned Suzannah dress beneath and her Episode Angel
black pumps.
Photo Credit: Government House, New Zealand]]>
