The Princess of Wales is celebrating the “joyful and nurturing environments” of children’s hospices.

Princess Kate at Tŷ Hafan Children’s Hospice near Cardiff, Wales in January 2025.Credit : Richard Pohle – WPA Pool/Getty

In a poignant new message, Kate Middleton is inviting people to join her in celebrating the life-changing work of children’s hospices.

The Princess of Wales, 44, issued a letter on June 15, celebrating the “joyful and nurturing environments” that hospices provide for kids with severe and life-limiting illnesses, and those who care for them.

She praised the “remarkable” role they play in communities as Children’s Hospice Week kicked off.

Princess Kate has championed the work of hospices for much of her working life, adopting East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) soon after her marriage to Prince William in 2011. In 2025, she also became patron of Tŷ Hafan Children’s Hospice in South Wales.

In her heartfelt letter, Princess Kate hoped that the public would join her in applauding “the countless ways children’s hospices make every moment count for the children and families they support, and in recognizing the profound, life-changing impact of the culture of care they are working to create.”

Princess Kate at the Treehouse, run by East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices.Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty

She wrote, “Children’s hospices are joyful and nurturing environments where children can simply be children; to play, explore, express themselves and connect with others.”

“For families, hospices offer a compassionate and restorative space to breathe, be together, and find strength in a community that understands their journey. This expert, holistic care is delivered by dedicated professionals who walk alongside families at every stage, often over many years, throughout a young person’s life and, when needed, into death and bereavement,” she added. “Children’s hospices are places that protect connection; between children and their families, between families and their communities, between hospice staff and the people they support, and within each child’s own sense of self.”

She continued, “When we shine a light on the remarkable, yet often unseen, work the hospices do to help children and their families live as fully as possible, we can break down one of the greatest barriers families often face: the fear that reaching out means giving up hope, or that care only begins at the very end.”

“Even in the most challenging circumstances, when children are surrounded by attuned care, opportunities for expression, and environments that nurture their whole selves, they can experience joy, belonging and the freedom to be who they are.

Princess Kate at Tŷ Hafan in South Wales in Jan. 2025.RICHARD POHLE/POOL/AFP via Getty

“These extraordinary places remind us that even in the face of serious illness, childhood remains a time of creativity, connection and possibility.”

Her letter comes in a particularly busy week for the royal family. On Saturday, Kate and William were joined by her three children — Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, 8 — at Trooping the Colour, and on Monday, June 15, she supported William, 43, at the annual Order of the Garter service at Windsor Castle.

In a statement, Kevin Clements, Chief Executive of EACH, spoke of Kate’s impact. “Her continued encouragement and international profile have helped bring greater awareness to our charity and the families we support, and this latest message is a fitting way to highlight the importance of Children’s Hospice Week.

Princess Kate’s letter.Princess Catherine of Wales

“It shines a powerful light on the vital role children’s hospices play, while also reminding people of the crucial support they provide through donations and fundraising.”

Irfon Rees, Chief Executive of Tŷ Hafan Children’s Hospice, added in a statement, “In this message, the Princess talks of the joyful, vibrant and nurturing environments of children’s hospices and also of how they provide dependable, compassionate and restorative spaces for families facing immense challenges.”

Princess Kate highlighting the Nook appeal for EACH in January 2017.Karwai Tang/WireImage

She is “drawing the attention to the profound difference that children’s hospices, including Tŷ Hafan, make to the lives of so many families and reminds us all of the importance of supporting your local children’s hospice so that no family has to live their child’s short life alone.”

The week of events highlighting hospices is headed by the U.K. charity Together for Short Lives. When Kate visited Ty Hafan in January 2025, Kate met staff and parents whose children had been cared for there. One couple, Candice Jones and Anton Griffiths from Llanelli, Wales, lost their daughter Winnie, who had Alexander’s Disease, in July 2023.  “She gave such a calm vibe,” Candice tells PEOPLE of the first meeting with the princess.

Talking about Tŷ Hafan, Candice said, “It is a special place. As I come up over the drive, I feel as if I am closer to her,” she adds of Winnie, her voice cracking. “It is all about you and your family here, and [it] is so calm.”

SOURCE: https://people.com/kate-middleton-releases-emotional-new-message-childrens-hospice-week-11998119