Duchess of Cornwall makes emotional visit to charity close to her heart

On Thursday the Duchess of Cornwall paid a visit to to one of her principal charities, Barnardo's.

The royal dropped in to the organisation’s new Wellbeing Hub in Illford, East London, which “will provide therapeutic support to children and young people with disabilities”. The hub will be used by young carers, as well as young people with disabilities in need of respite care.

It was certainly a meaningful visit, as Camilla met with young people using the services provided by the charity during an arts and crafts session.

MORE: ‘Completely devastated’: Camilla opens up about her mother’s death with emotional confession

Duchess Camilla had some sweet words to offer too, as she watched on while one young carer Connie, aged just nine, had her nails painted.

She said, “Oh my goodness, you’re having different colour on your nails – you’re going to be very, very beautiful by the end of the day.”

Some young carers at our Wellbeing Hub are joined by HRH The Duchess of Cornwall while they get creative with arts and crafts. pic.twitter.com/yoX8ZtkHRN

— Barnardo’s (@barnardos) February 21, 2019

Later on, Camilla met with many children who were carers for older relatives, with many of them as young as Connie. The young carers there are responsible for the day-to-day needs of a parent or other family member, so it was sure to be a touching meeting for the Duchess.

She also spoke with a 24-year-old man Isaac, who was supported by the charity as a teenager, and actually carried the Olympic torch during the 2012 games.

The inspirational Isaac was supported by us as a teenager and carried the Olympic torch in 2012. Here he is today meeting our Royal Patron, The Duchess of Cornwall. pic.twitter.com/GMQp21G6ry

— Barnardo’s (@barnardos) February 21, 2019

The Duchess of Cornwall has been patron of Barnardo’s for three years now, having taken on the role from the Queen in 2016. Prior to this, she was President of Barnardo’s, a role she took on shortly after her marriage to Prince Charles, in 2007.

Camilla has long had an interest in the inspirational work of young carers, which the charity’s Chief Executive, Javed Khan, spoke about during her visit.

He said, “Young carers is one of her special interests, and care leavers, so we were delighted when she said she would be willing to visit this centre.

“Young carers are one of the great untold stories in this country, I think. it’s very hard to determine how many young carers there are.”

In total, the Duchess of Cornwall supports over 90 charities as Patron or President.