The Princess of Wales today arrived for her first royal ‘away day’ since 2023 as part of her slow and steady return to royal duties as she visited a sock manufacturer and children’s hospice, of which she has become patron.
Arriving at children’s hospice Tŷ Hafan this morning after ‘proudly’ announcing her new patronage, Catherine, 43, donned a checked dress from Zara with pussybow detailing and wore her hair in loose waves hanging down her shoulders, before being greeted by a member of staff.
It wasn’t long before the princess got stuck in to the visit, as she made a beeline for adorable children who visit the hospice who were using the soft play area.
She took part in a musical session with children suffering from life-limiting conditions and even had her hand painted red to leave a permanent memory of her visit – just as King Charles had done years previously.
Later on in the day, Kate visited Corgi, a textiles manufacturer in Ammanford focusing on socks and knitwear.
It is no coincidence that the princess has chosen South Wales to undertake two solo engagements given her title and love for the country and its people, sources have told the Mail.
At Tŷ Hafan, Kate, who is a mother of three, chatted to young children including a little girl who uses a wheelchair, and who was dressed in pink and had her hair in pigtails for the occasion.
Speaking to the young girl, she asked: ‘What do you like doing when you’re here?’ before she replied to explain she enjoyed music.
Kate got crafty on the solo visit, helping children with their art by painting their hands and appearing thoroughly in her element
Kate gets crafty! The Princess made art with her hands with the help of a young girl who painted her palm bright red
A royal work of art! the Princess made a piece of artwork out of her painted handprint and signed it with ‘Catherine’
Kate’s sweet artwork follows King Charles’s lilac handprint from a visit to the hospice in 2018 when he was still the Prince of Wales
Kate then asked: ‘Have you played any of the instruments?’ and picked up a rattle before giving it a little shake. The little girl erupted in giggles and went on to demonstrate her percussion playing on a xylophone.
She was overheard discussing ‘challenging’ times for families as she spoke with parents whose children have received care from the hospice.
Catherine had joined children at a ‘stay and play’ fun-filled event after Kensington Palace donated musical instruments – and admitted her own children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis would have ‘loved’ the activities.
Walking into the room where children were entertained by a guitarist, she said: ‘This is very vibrant.’
Smiling Catherine crouched down to speak to Dani-Rae, 3, and asked: ‘What do you like doing here? Are you having a good time? Are you singing songs?
She shook some maracas and asked: ‘Do you like playing any instruments?’
The mother-of-three also warmly chatted with parents and carers asking: ‘Are there any places like this in the community?’
She also joined in the games rolling a sparkly ball along the floor and asked Dani-Ray: ‘Are you going to meet your friends? You’re gonna stay here? It’s really nice to meet you.’
She sat with Felix, 12, and listened to how he was being cared for at the hospice, saying: ‘This is a really calm place.’
And she also spoke to the family of Maisie, 16, about what she enjoys about coming to the hospice.
Kate is following in the footsteps of Princess Diana to become the patron of the hospice. Diana is pictured in 1996 at an event raising funds for the hospice
While speaking to Savanah-Blu, 5, she tenderly placed her hand on her left knee.
She asked the parents and carers: ‘How much has the support here helped her?’
And she spoke about the hospice providing ‘physical and emotional support’ for children with life-shortening conditions.
Catherine said: ‘I know what such a lifeline it is here and makes such a difference.’
The royal visitor was also shown a room that is to be used by Maisie, and noticed a copy of The Owl Who Was Afraid Of The Dark – which she read on CBeebies Bedtime Stories in 2022.
Told some children can stay for care without their parents, she remarked: ‘Sometimes, having just spoken to them, the fact that they have been coming here for regular periods of time, they build up a rapport so they know they are really in a safe space and got that relationship with their carers.’
‘That’s support on a holistic front not just their physical needs, it’s that (gesturing to the stay and play).’
Five-year-old Oscar, who had missed the Stay and Play as he was riding around the hospice’s corridors, bumped into the Princess during her tour.
She leaned down and said: ‘You’ve got some good exercise going.’
As the youngster looked like he was about to set off on another lap of the hospice the princess asked: ‘Are you going back down this way.’
But instead Oscar whizzed off leading her through the building to the garden.
Outside she marvelled at the ‘beautiful environment’ and spoke to parents who had lost their children.
She hailed ‘such a beautiful connection’ after hearing the tweeting of bird songs that have been created by turning children’s names into morse code.
A plaque on the speaker playing the bird songs reads: ‘These names will be forever in our skies.’
The princess then helped four-year-old Maggie, sibling of Felix, make a handprint.
Catherine grabbed her hand and said: ‘Shall we do it together? Would you like me to paint your hand?’
She held her hand and brushed on red paint and said: ‘Tell me it tickles. Is it ticklish? My kiddies would love this if I went and did this back at home today.’
She covered the youngster’s hand in red paint before Lottie, 10, who is also Felix’s sister, took her turn to paint the princess.
Catherine said: ‘It’s very relaxing.’
Kate greeted members of the public after her visit to Corgi, a manufacturer in WalesThen asked ‘ready?’ and placed her hand on a piece of paper and said ‘I should have done my nails.’
Looking at her mark left behind she said: ‘It’s huge!’
Then after washing off the paint she signed it ‘Catherine’ next to the handprint which will be digitised and put on the wall with others from children, their siblings and parents.
On her way out the princess pledged her support and said: ‘It’s been a very special visit.’
Afterwards Lottie, 10, spoke about painting the princess’s hand saying ‘it was ‘fun’.
Her mum Alex Forbes, 43, said the hospice has been caring for Felix since he was a baby.
She revealed Catherine offered to paint Maggie’s hand for the wall after hearing she had not done hers yet and said the hospice couldn’t have asked for a ‘better patron’.
She said: ‘It’s a real memory-making day. The girls and Felix are going to remember this for the rest of their lives.
‘It was really lovely how the princess engaged with my girls. She is a mum and everything she has gone through she really empathises. 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.
‘Ty Hafan is like a second family for us because of Felix’s needs, these are the people that we turn to. We wouldn’t be on this journey without them.’
Felix, 12, from Llanwit Major, has a rare and progressive condition called Miller Dieker syndrome and is both non verbal and non mobile.
Savanah-Blu, 5, from Cardiff, has Alexander’s Leukodystrophy, which will result in death in childhood.
Oscar, 5, of Carmarthen, has CHARGE syndrome (CS) which causes severe global development delay and epilepsy.
One-year-old Niko, of Cardiff, has rare muscular condition spinal muscular atrophy type 1 which usually results in death at early infancy but new gene therapy treatment now slows progression.
Dani-Rae, three, of Caerphilly, also has spinal muscular atrophy type 1 and benefited from the new gene therapy treatment. While Maisie, 16, of Bridgend, has atypical Retts Syndrome.
She was also given a tour of the factory floor, looking at the threads and production materials
Later on in the day, Kate spent an hour at Corgi, a textiles manufacturer in Ammanford, South Wales, focused on the production of socks and knitwear.
While there she met with the Lord-Lieutenant for Dyfed, Sara Edwards, and Lisa Wood and Chris Jones, the brother and sister who own the business.
The princess heard about the projects staff were working on, including designs by William Morris, before learning about the design process.
The Princess of Wales collapsed in giggles and declared herself ‘terrible’ at making socks during the visit.
Catherine took a seat at one machine where employee Shauna Kinsey, 24, showed her how 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 said Miss Kinsey, who has worked for the company for six years, ‘made it look so easy’.
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’.
She listened intently to members of the production team as she learned more about the process
The Princess appeared fascinated by the intricate processes used to make the socks and other knitwear, stopping to ask staff questions as she was given a tour.
She repeatedly pulled the socks over her hand, marvelling at how soft they were and how ‘beautifully made’.
She revealed during the visit that she ‘archived’ all of her own children’s clothes, noting that the garments that had been well made always ‘wore really well’.
‘It’s so lovely to reuse the things that are well made,’ she said.
The Princess was shown around by owners Chris Jones, 56, and his sister, Lisa Wood, 55. The siblings took over the business from their father Huw Jones, 86, in the 1990s.
‘It’s so lovely to be here,’ she said on arrival. ‘I’ve been looking forward to it, I’ve heard all about your brand.’
The Princess learnt about the entire process of making socks, from the initial design stage to the final part that involves sealing the toe onto the rest of the garment.
In the design room, she chatted to staff about a partnership with William Morris, noting that its prints were still ‘relevant and recognisable’. She recognised a Liberty print on the wall and was shown a jumper made for Burberry, that Ms Wood admitted had been ‘a logistical nightmare’ to make.
‘Don’t tell me that,’ the Princess laughed.
On the main factory floor, the Princess was told that children from the local school came in for work experience and to learn the skills. Ms Wood told her that staff skills were incredibly valuable and it was ‘important that we keep going, through the generations’.
Kate asked staff how long it would take them to make one sock, repeatedly describing the process as ‘fascinating’. She appeared surprised at the weight of a roll of cashmere and spent several minutes in the machine room, chatting to employees about the more modern practices they use.
‘I can’t believe how much machinery there is,’ she said.
‘It’s nice to see the younger ones coming in and learning this craftsmanship,’ she added, asking if they also made the brand labels.
Asked if she wanted to have a go using a different machine, the Princess admitted that it ‘looked easier’ than the previous one, sliding a handle along the machine and back again.
Before the Princess left, Mr Jones’s daughter, Cari, 12, gave her a cream, zip up cashmere cardigan, made especially for her, as well as a navy cashmere wrap for her mother, Carole Middleton, to mark her 70th birthday this weekend.
‘That’s so sweet of you, thank you, I wasn’t expecting it,’ she said.
As she stepped out to her convoy, a gaggle of onlookers cheered and waved and one small girl could be heard shouting ‘Hello Princess.’
After driving some 15 metres towards them, she got out of the car to say hello.
Kate, 43, donned a checked grey dress with a pussybow detail from Zara that she has previously worn to undertake the visit
‘Thanks for saying hello,’ she told the little girl, three-year-old Lily-Rose Logan. ‘I heard you from all the way over there. I’ve just been to see this amazing factory where they make wonderful socks.’
Lily-Rose gave the Princess her toy banana to hold. When she gave it back, she threw it on the floor.
Corgi was founded in 1892 by the current owners’ great great grandfather, selling socks to miners.
In the 1960s, the company expanded to include traditional men’s knitwear including jumpers and scarves.
When Mr Jones and Ms Wood, took over, they expanded again to include womenswear and childrenswear. They also purchased machines to start making certain types of socks.
They now employ 50 people and export to 34 countries, making around 200,000 pairs of socks a year.
The company has held a Royal Warrant from the King since 1992. The monarch likes an ‘every day’ sock in grey, navy and dark green, with each pair made ‘slightly longer’ to suit his tastes, staff revealed.
They also make white and red socks for the various Highland regiments, which are used for ceremonial events. Each pair takes a whole day to make and would cost around £600 a pair if they were sold to the public.
The socks cost from £12-£15 a pair going up to £140 for cashmere socks and £180 for a pair for Ralph Lauren socks.
Mr Jones said the royal visit gave a ‘real boost’ to its loyal staff, some of whom have worked there for decades.
The day was designed to showcase the work of ‘long-established organisations with community at their core’.
The princess’s visit focused on spotlighting the wellbeing of children and families as well as celebrating excellence in Welsh textiles manufacturing, both of which are themes close to her heart.
A source told the Mail: ‘When she became the Princess of Wales she and her husband vowed to celebrate and service the dynamic nation that Wales is today.
The princess crouched down to discuss the hospice’s good work with parents whose children use the play area for respite care
‘I think the Princess choosing a visit to Wales for her second solo engagement of 2025 signals the importance that she places on Wales and the love that she has for the nation and its people.’
The last joint ‘away day’ of engagement conducted by the princess was in early November 2023 and her last day of solo engagements was in September of the same year, when she visited her ancestors’ former wool factory in Leeds.
Catherine began the day with a moving visit to Tŷ Hafan, a children’s hospice based in Sully, near Cardiff, which supports families to ensure that children with life-shortening conditions have fulfilling lives.
Tŷ Hafan was the first children’s hospice in Wales when it opened in 1999 and provides free care and support both within the hospice itself and in homes and communities.
The charity’s ambition is that no family should have to experience their child’s short life alone, with staff ‘walking alongside’ every family who needs their support – through life, death and beyond.
Holistic care, something that interests Catherine hugely, is a huge part of its ethos, focusing on the physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs of the children in its care.
To coincide with her arrival, Kensington Palace announced that the princess has today also become Patron of Tŷ Hafan Children’s Hospice, following in the footsteps of the King and her husband’s late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.
Irfon Rees, Chief Executive of Tŷ Hafan – which translates from Welsh to ‘Haven House’ in English – said: ‘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.
Kate beamed as she chatted to staff, parents and children at the hospice on her first solo engagement away from home in more than a year
‘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.
‘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.’
The wellbeing of children and their families has always been close to The Princess’ heart, a palace aide said.
The first patronage Her Royal Highness took on when she became a Member of The Royal Family was EACH (East Anglia’s Children’s Hospice) and she maintains a close relationship with the organisation to this day.
The Princess is looking forward to building a similar relationship with Tŷ Hafan and the children and families it serves in Wales, they added.
As Prince of Wales, King Charles was patron of Tŷ Hafan from 2001.
The position was previously held by Diana, Princess of Wales while the charity was in its fundraising stage.
Commenting on her patronage on the Kensington Palace X/Twitter account, the Princess said: ‘A proud moment becoming Patron of Tŷ Hafan.
‘Opening in 1999 as Wales’ first children’s hospice, Tŷ Hafan continues to provide specialist care to children with life-shortening conditions, offering vital support to them and their families, throughout life, at end of life, and beyond.’
The Princess’ visit to South Wales today is the first time she has visited the nation since undergoing her treatment and recovery. Her last engagements there were with her husband in October 2023.
During her visit today Catherine has sat through a musical therapy session in action.
To mark the visit and the announcement of the patronage, Kensington Palace have arranged for a donation of musical instruments to be provided to the charity to allow them to conduct more music therapy sessions in the future.
Although it has been a comparatively busy week for The Princess – with the Holocaust Memorial Day Service on Monday followed by the two engagements in Wales today – sources close to the princess are keen to stress that it remains part of a gradual, phased return to work.
Aides say the engagements this week are not a ‘template’ for the next few months and she is not ‘fully back to work’ yet. Her diary will, it is said, vary from week to week.
However ‘she is very much looking forward to being in Wales today and to be focusing on two themes which are close to her heart,’ sources stressed.
During her visit, the Princess is spending time with some of the children and their families, joining a ‘stay and play’ session.
She will also movingly meet with bereaved families supported by Tŷ Hafan throughout their children’s lives, deaths and beyond.
The royal mother-of-three’s solo visit marks her second engagement this week; after she joined her husband Prince William on Monday to mark international Holocaust Remembrance Day.
The Prince and Princess of Wales visited London’s Guildhall where they marked the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
The event included an emotional reunion with Steven Frank, 89, and Ms Bernstein, 87, both of whom the Princess photographed back in 2020.
The Princess’s close bond with both survivors was clear for all to see, putting on an affectionate display and warmly embracing Ms Bernstein.
Kate described Ms Bernstein, who was hidden as a child in France throughout most of the Second World War by her uncle, as an ‘old friend’, clasping her hands and telling her it was a ‘treat’ to see her again.
She had greeted the 87-year-old by saying: ‘It’s so nice to see you,’ and hearing that Yvonne had suffered some health problems, she added: ‘You’ve had such a hard time, haven’t you?’
The two shared an emotional hug, before Ms Bernstein gently touched the princess’s face and arm, and thanked her for coming.
The touching exchange was reminiscent of their previous meetings in 2020 and 2021 after Kate photographed her for a Holocaust exhibition at the Imperial War Museum – and they’ve clearly remained close over the years.
As revealed by the Mail earlier this month, the princess continues to plan a slow and measured return to royal duties following her cancer diagnosis and treatment last year.
It was little over a year ago that she was admitted to hospital for serious abdominal surgery, after which doctors found there had been evidence of cancer present.
She underwent a gruelling course of preventative chemotherapy, which ended late last summer, and recently confirmed that she was officially in remission.
While thanking people for their ongoing support she warned, however, that her focus remains on her recovery and adjusting to a ‘new normal’ for the sake of her family.
