Kate Middleton has given her first public speech during a visit to East Anglia's Children's Hospices.
The Duchess of Cambridge told the organisation's staff, supporters and the families of children with life-threatening conditions, that her husband Prince William would have loved the visit.
"A view of his that I share is that through team work so much can be achieved," Kate told the hospice on Monday morning.
"I feel enormously proud to be part of East Anglia's Children's hospices and be part of the life-changing work that you do," Kate said.
The duchess is royal patron of the charity and visited it privately last autumn when researching which good causes she wanted to support.
During the visit Kate also heard a performance by a 10-year-old singer, Bethany Woods, who gave a spell-binding rendition of a song made famous by The Muppet Movie, Rainbow Connection.
In a hushed music therapy room, which moments earlier had been filled with a cacophony produced by percussion instruments played by children receiving treatment at the hospice, the wheelchair-bound youngster began to sing.
Bethany was diagnosed at the age of 22 months with merosin negative congenital muscular dystrophy, which causes poor muscle tone, tightness in the joints and respiratory problems.
She receives a wide range of care from the hospice to alleviate her condition but especially loves taking part in music and recorded a song for the hospice's recent fundraising appeal DVD.
When the Duchess first entered the music therapy room, she greeted each of the four young musicians and their parents in turn.
On greeting Bethany, Kate said she had seen her video and asked her "Did that take a long time?", adding that she liked her performance.
Before leaving, Kate will plant a commemorative tree in the Treehouse grounds.
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Kate Middleton has given her first public speech during a visit to East Anglia's Children's Hospices.
The Duchess of Cambridge told the organisation's staff, supporters and the families of children...
Kate Middleton has given her first public speech during a visit to East Anglia's Children's Hospices.
The Duchess of Cambridge told the organisation's staff, supporters and the families of children...
Actually I am surprised she was not more refined at her speaking skills, since she is well-educated and there has been plenty of time for some "Duchess Speech' training.
Regardless, she is gorgeous and a pleasure to observe!
SamEasy: Actually I am surprised she was not more refined at
It cannot be easy for her, being thrown into the limelight.
so soon, she was a bit nervous, who would not be though,
being her first time, she did fine.
wes
weskirk1: It cannot be easy for her, being thrown into the
As HP continues fronting for the reestablishment of the Monarchy with these continual puff pieces on media created celebrities. American Idol has more substance than these people.
MacTheCat: As HP continues fronting for the reestablishment of the Monarchy
I'm sitting about 6 miles away from Buckingham Palace, even the younger members of the royal family don't speak in the way Kate does any more, nobody of her age does, she sound as if she's arrived in a time capsule from the 1960's.
deluk: I'm sitting about 6 miles away from Buckingham Palace, even
An excellent performance in the circumstances. It takes a very long time to get used to talking in public - especially when the audience is in the billions... After all the Queen took quite a while I recall. I had enough trouble delivering a scientific paper to only 600 people at an ASTM meeting in America. Well done Catherine.
Corrigenda: An excellent performance in the circumstances. It takes a very
I am not particularly a "royals" fan, but I think she was quite nervous, knowing that all of us here on HuffPost and around the world would be commenting on her every word, her cadence, etc. I doubt that anyone who is not used to speaking on a world stage for the first time in her life could help but be so nervous that her hands shook. Let's give her a break, shall we? She will improve as she goes along, as did her deceased mother-in-law, who came to be known as the "world's princess," and whom millions--if not billions--mourned when she died.
GoogleyEyed: I am not particularly a "royals" fan, but I think
she could have worked on it a bit more, maybe a little practice? she will get better, I just wish it was more fluid and she didnt need to read her speech so much. But good job for her first try.
GrownupStewie: she could have worked on it a bit more, maybe
I would like to know what Kate thinks about the creepy, awkward, obsessive nature of the press reporting on every single thing she does as if there was some amazing discovery to tell.
OuterBanx_North12: I would like to know what Kate thinks about the
Abraham Lincoln once said - it is better to remain silent and appear a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. By speaking Kate has removed all doubt.
Bernard_Nitram: Abraham Lincoln once said - it is better to remain
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PA/The Huffington Post UK | By | Posted: 19/03/2012 11:43 Updated: 19/03/2012 12:47