Before Christmas, the Princess of Wales visited the Evelina London Children’s Hospital. While meeting the children, she recalled some of the ‘nerve-wracking’ hospital visits that involved her three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
Kate Middleton is heavily involved with a number of charities. She’s also the host of plenty of meaningful events which take place throughout the year. Among them is the Carol service at Westminster Abbey which the Princess hosts on December 8 for the third year in a row. The event then airs on TV on Christmas Eve.
This year, “the service will be a moment to thank all those who work to support babies, young children, and families in our communities across the UK and a celebration of the golden opportunity that the birth of a new baby brings,” the Palace announced.
The event significantly adds to the Princess’ popularity. “What Kate has done brilliantly is elevating her status and position within the broader royal family brand. Having a slot on Christmas Eve, it’s evidence of her appeal,” PR expert Andrew Bloch told Mirror.
As expected, the royal children were in attendance. The three siblings shared their messages and wishes for children who might be struggling with Christmas by writing them down and placing them in a special card box. They also got to enjoy singers Beverley Knight and Adam Lamberg perform.
Their outfits were impeccable as always, but one thing that caught the attention of many was Prince George’s height.
“I know perspective distorts but isn’t George getting tall!” one person wrote.
Another added, “How fast Prince George is growing!”
“Prince George is so tall, Princess Charlotte’s hair is so long, and I can’t believe Prince Louis is only 5 years old,” a third stated.
As children grow up and attend events, there is a concern that they are overexposed, especially Prince George.
“[Kate and William] are wisely concerned at any overexposure of him [George] and of Charlotte and Louis,” royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Express.
“The younger they are, the more likely they are to steal the show with childish antics which get publicized worldwide and make the monarchy seem more relatable,” he said. Mr Fitzwilliams added that George is a particular focus of attention due to him being second-in-line to the throne.
“Whether as Page of Honour at the Coronation or blowing bubbles on a visit to Canada, whatever he does as he is the future king is of interest. We are fed titbits, that George enjoys dancing, plays tennis or likes a pizza, and we get regular photographs of him on special occasions and see him at certain royal events,” Fitzwilliams concluded, adding that William and Kate “are well aware of the need for him and his siblings to have privacy as they grow up.”
The children, however, are expected to attend certain events, some more important than other.
A few weeks ago, Kate brought her children to a project helping families facing poverty this Christmas in Holyport near Maidenhead during which they volunteered at a “baby bank.”
George, Charlotte, and Louis helped pick out the toys children would receive for the holiday.
A video that Kensington Palace posted said “a quarter of families with a child under five” in the UK are living in poverty.
“There’s lots of people who give up their time and come and help out – and you’re the volunteers for this evening,” Kate told her children.
Rebecca Mistry, the baby bank’s co-founder, told George, Charlotte, and Louis, “What we would like you to do, is try and choose some presents for some children who are a similar age to you guys.”
In the past, late Princess Diana did the same. She used to take Harry and William to charity events where they volunteered and felt like valuable members of the community.
This is probably the reason why helping others have become something William keeps close to his heart.
“When I left this morning, one of the things I was thinking was, ‘When is the right time to bring George or Charlotte or Louis to a homeless organization?’ I think when I can balance it with their schooling, they will definitely be exposed to it,” William told The Times.
“On the school run, we talk about what we see. When we were in London, driving backwards and forwards, we regularly used to see people sitting outside supermarkets, and we’d talk about it.”
Prince William added: “I’d say to the children, ‘Why are they there? What’s going on?’ I think it’s in all our interests, it’s the right thing to do, to expose the children, at the right stage, in the right dialogue, so they have an understanding. They [will] grow up knowing that actually, do you know what, some of us are very fortunate, some of us need a little bit of a helping hand, some of us need to do a bit more where we can to help others improve their lives.”
Both William and Kate can teach their children a lot about volunteering.
Since 2018, Kate has been the patron of Evelina London Children’s Hospital and she was now given the pleasure to open their new Children’s Day Surgery Unit.
At the hospital, Kate got the chance to speak to some of the children there, as well as with their families.
In a conversation with a family whose child was to be operated, she shared how she felt every time any of her children needed a hospital visit.
“It’s always nerve-wracking as a parent. I’ve taken mine into hospital for different things. You’re always at least worried, but you’ve got a great team [here],” Princess Kate said, as per Hello! Magazine.
“It’s always a worry, though, for a parent. We have to keep our cool. It’s so hard,” she added.
Kate is truly a very special individual. It doesn’t come as a surprise that she’s loved by millions.