The People’s Princesses.

Kate Middleton Smiling Houndstooth Plaid Pussy Bow Dress Long White Coat Curled Hair Walking Outside of Tŷ Hafan Children's Hospice January 30, 2025

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Earlier this week, Kate Middleton made a solo appearance at a children’s hospice facility—in a $20 Zara dress—that had a sweet connection to Princess Diana. And it seems during her visit to Tŷ Hafan children’s hospice, the princess fully embodied her late mother-in-law’s best qualities.

Kate Middleton Speaking With Families and Children at Tŷ Hafan Children's Hospice January 30, 2025

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Alex Forbes, whose 12-year-old son Felix is currently being treated at the center, spoke highly about their family’s interaction with the Princess of Wales. The royal even painted her hand in order to leave a print on an entry way wall.

“You can tell she is a mom,” Alex said. “It was easy to see in the way she was so engaging with the girls. She was lovely. She got Lottie to come in and asked, ‘Do you want to paint my hand?'”

Kate Middleton Smiling Young Girl Named Lottie Painting Her Hand at Tŷ Hafan Children's Hospice January 30, 2025

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Alex’s husband Dan added that Middleton’s friendliness and personable demeanor were comparable to Princess Diana, who also had a tie to the hospice facility. The late princess became the organization’s patron in 1995 before the center was even built. Sadly, she died in 1997 and never had the chance to see the institution up and running after it opened in 2000.

“Diana is always thought of as the royal who had a people touch and had the ability to build rapport and bond with people today,” Dan said. “You could see that today with the princess.”

Princess Diana Meeting Families Outside of St Catherine's Hospice September 1988

Princess Diana at St Catherine’s Hospice September 22, 1988.Getty Images

Middleton is now a patron of the facility and spent her visit meeting families and patients receiving treatment. Dan added that she “put people at ease immediately” and was down-to-earth, making others feel like they were “talking to another mother, first and foremost.”

According to People, Diana’s former private secretary Patrick Jephson donated $130,000 to the organization in order to build the facility after receiving money from damages paid by the BBC for their controversial 1995 Diana interview.