Princess of Wales follows in Diana’s footsteps as patron of children’s hospice
The Princess of Wales has been named patron of a children’s hospice, following in the footsteps of both Diana, Princess of Wales, and the King.
The Princess, 43, spent around an hour at Ty Hafan in Sully, outside Cardiff, on Thursday, playing with terminally ill children and chatting to their families.
Later, she collapsed in giggles and declared herself “terrible” at making socks during a visit to Corgi, a family-run textile manufacturer in Ammanford, near Swansea.
It was her first solo “away day” of engagements outside London since completing her cancer treatment and her first visit to Wales since October 2023.
The Princess appeared in good form. Animated and engaged, she threw herself into various activities and offered little hint that it was an early step in her phased return to public duties.
At Ty Hafan, the first children’s hospice in Wales, the Princess joined a “stay and play” session and watched a music therapy class before meeting bereaved families.
Her late mother-in-law was the hospice’s first patron, championing its creation during its fundraising stage, until her death in 1997. The King, then Prince of Wales, took on the patronage in 2001, two years after it opened.
Announcing the Princess as the hospice’s new patron, Irfon Rees, the chief executive, said she would be “an inspiration” to both the children and their families in its care.
To mark the announcement, Kensington Palace arranged for a donation of musical instruments to be provided to the charity to allow it to conduct more music therapy sessions.
Meanwhile, the Princess left a painted handprint on the wall, just as her father-in-law, the King, had done in 2018.
Ty Hafan, which means Haven House in English, takes a holistic approach to help meet the physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs of children and their families.
The Princess crouched down to meet some of the children, asking if they enjoyed singing and whether they had played any instruments.
She described the hospice as “really calm”, adding: “I know what such a lifeline it is here and it makes such a difference.”
Alex Forbes, 43, described how staff had cared for her son, Felix, 12, who has a rare and progressive condition called Miller Dieker syndrome, and is both non-verbal and non-mobile.
She said the way the Princess engaged with her daughters, Lottie, 10, who painted the Princess’s hand, and Maggie, four, was “really lovely”.
“She is a mum and everything she has gone through, she really empathises,” she said. “Her being the patron now, we couldn’t have asked for a better person.
“When she was with Felix she asked how the hospice was helping him but also how they help the family. It felt like it was from the heart.”
The Princess’s first patronage on joining the Royal family was East Anglia Children’s Hospice (EACH), and she is said to be looking forward to building a similarly close and lasting relationship with the children and families at Ty Hafan.
Meanwhile, at Corgi, which specialises in making handmade socks, the Princess hoped to celebrate excellence in Welsh textile manufacturing, a theme similarly “close to her heart”, Kensington Palace said.
As she toured the factory floor, employee Shauna Kinsey, 24, showed her how to use a machine to “link” the toe to the sock, stitch by stitch.
The Princess spent several minutes trying to get to grips with the process, laughing at her own efforts.
“It’s so fiddly,” she said. “It’s definitely not my forte.”
The Princess told Miss Kinsey, who has worked for the company for six years, that she “made it look so easy”. She laughed as she added: “It’s really hard. I’m sorry, I’m so terrible.”
Miss Kinsey admitted later that she had to unravel some of the Princess’s work as she had been “going in the wrong line”.
The Princess appeared fascinated by the intricate processes used to make the socks and other knitwear, stopping to ask staff questions throughout her tour.
She repeatedly pulled the socks over her hand, expressing astonishment at how soft they were and describing the manufacturing process as “fascinating”.
She revealed that she “archived” all of her own children’s clothes. “It’s so lovely to reuse the things that are well made,” she said.
Corgi was founded in 1892 by the current owners’ great-great-grandfather, who sold socks to miners.
Brother and sister Chris Jones, 56, and Lisa Wood, 55, now employ 50 people and export to 34 countries, making around 200,000 pairs of socks a year.
The company also boasts a royal warrant from the King and makes bespoke “everyday” socks for the monarch, who likes them “slightly longer” than normal.
Mr Jones’s daughter, Cari, 12, presented the Princess with a cream cashmere cardigan made specially for her, as well as a navy cashmere wrap for her mother, Carole Middleton, to mark her 70th birthday this weekend.
Kensington Palace has previously described how both the Prince and Princess are “very focused on deepening the trust and respect of the people of Wales” and planned to do that by spending more time there.
