Kate Middleton Takes on Charity Work, Embracing Princess Diana's Legacy. Prince William and Kate Middleton met in 2001. Their
engagement on 20 October 2010 was announced on 16 November 2010. The build-up
to the wedding and the occasion itself attracted much media attention, being
compared in many ways with the 1981 marriage of William's parents.
The duchess, married to Prince William, channeled
her late
mother-in-law, Princess Diana, in January 2012 when she announced that she
would be donating her time and support to an array of charitable organizations,
including an addiction charity, a group of children's hospices, the National
Portrait Gallery, and the Scout Association, the British equivalent of the Girl
Scouts, among others.
The month after her
announcement, in February, she spent Valentine's Day without Prince William, Instead,
the duchess will be devoting her time to three new charities that each reflect
her "personal interests in supporting children and young people to build
their skills, confidence and aspirations," the palace said in a statement
Duchess of Cambridge
Kate Middleton is expecting her first child in July but it's now clear that she
won't be just decorating the nursery or spending time on her newest hobby,
knitting, in the meantime. Although Middleton was hospitalized in the early
stages of her pregnancy for severe morning sickness, the palace says she has
maintained her charitable efforts, holding meetings and private visits with the
three new charities on her plate. She will also, according to the palace,
"undertake both private and public visits" in the U.K. on behalf of
the charities in the months ahead. Middleton told employees at a homeless
shelter earlier this month that the couple’s baby, whose sex has not been
revealed, was due “around mid-July, but apparently babies have their own
agenda.”
The new charities chosen by Duchess Kate, 31, include
Place2Be, a mental health and support centre for underprivileged youth; Sports
Aid, an organization that provides aid and training to young athletes; and the
Natural History Museum, a tourist destination and research centre.
But in the company of benefactors of the addiction charity
and a children's hospital. The duchess was spotted last month trading her usual
high-fashion look to get down and dirty with the U.K.'s Cub Scouts, spending a
day with them in the great outdoors.
Middleton, who has an active interest in various sports,
follows up her role as official ambassador for Team GB and Paralympics GB
during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games with her new patron duties
at Sports Aid, the charity that has a successful track record of backing
promising young athletes that have gone on to great things...
The Duchess, who has participated in tennis, netball and
athletics as well as hockey which she played for her University team, is
expected to make an important contribution to the charity.