The Princess of Wales has visited Wales for the first time in 2025 as it was announced that she has taken on a special new patronage.
As a working member of the Royal Family, Kate is Patron to a number of important organisations and charities and she is proud to now have become the Patron of Tŷ Hafan, the first children’s hospice in Wales. Tŷ Hafan first opened in 1999 and continues to provide exceptional specialist care to children with life-shortening conditions. Based in Sully, they offer vital support to children and their families and the Princess visited the hospice on 30th January.
During her time at Tŷ Hafan, Kate spent time with children, families and members of staff. Her Royal Highness’s visit was welcomed by Irfon Rees, Chief Executive of Tŷ Hafan Children’s Hospice, who said they are "deeply honoured" to have Kate as their Patron.
"We are deeply honoured that Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales has become Patron of Tŷ Hafan and it was an absolute pleasure to welcome Her Royal Highness to our hospice for the first time today," Irfon declared. "As our Patron, Her Royal Highness will be an inspiration for children with life-shortening conditions and their families, our dedicated staff and volunteers and everyone who so generously supports us."
He continued, "No parent ever imagines that their child’s life will be short. Sadly, this is the reality facing thousands of families in Wales. We can’t stop this happening, but together we can make sure that no one lives their child’s short life alone."
As part of her special visit to the hospice, Kate took part in a "stay and play" session where children enjoy meaningful play and activities alongside their care. She also met with bereaved families who Tŷ Hafan supported throughout their children’s lives, deaths and beyond.
To conclude her time there, the Princess of Wales also helped others with handprint painting and had her own taken for a particularly heartfelt reason. As revealed on the Tŷ Hafan website, hers will join the handprints of the hundreds of children with life-shortening conditions and their families who’ve been supported by the hospice to date.
This was an incredibly meaningful and moving engagement for the Princess of Wales and her late mother-in-law Princess Diana was once patron of Tŷ Hafan. Later on in the day she paid a visit to Corgi, a family run textiles manufacturer. They specialise in the production of socks and knitwear and she spent time with the design team and went out on to the factory floor where she met members of the production team and even tried out some of the machines herself.
As someone who often wears the best British clothing brands, Kate was likely thrilled to be able to learn more about Corgi, who are "committed to quality and its heritage" and are inspired by Wales and its landscape. For this particular engagement she re-wore an old favourite houndstooth dress by Zara with heeled Russell & Bromley pumps.
Prince William and Kate lived in Anglesey off the North West coast of Wales before relocating to Kensington Palace in 2013. A Palace statement released in 2022 spoke of the couple’s "deep affection" for Wales and expressed their desire to spend more time there.
"The prince and princess have a deep affection for Wales, having made their first family home in Anglesey, and have thoroughly enjoyed previous visits and the warmth and kindness shown by the Welsh people," it stated. "Their Royal Highnesses are looking forward to spending more time in Wales over the coming months and years, taking the time to strengthen their relationship with communities in all parts of Wales."
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