The Princess of Wales praised a 'brilliant' teenager with a rare condition who serenaded her with an Ed Sheeran song during a visit to a children's hospice.
Kate, who is the patron of East Anglia's Children's Hospices (Each), spent nearly an hour talking to children and families who are receiving care during an emotional visit to The Treehouse hospice in Ipswich today.
The unit provides short breaks and palliative support for children and young people with life-limiting conditions, and bereavement support for families. During her visit today, the princess, who previously opened the hospice in March 2012, toured its music therapy room and a sensory room with special lighting, a water bed and a projector.
Teenage Singer Impresses the Princess
Among those she met was 13-year-old Charlotte Freegard, who has a rare genetic muscle disorder called nemaline myopathy. Kate sat with Charlotte at the piano as the youngster sang the Ed Sheeran hit Perfect, with the princess breaking out in a round of applause and telling her she was 'brilliant' after her performance.
The princess told her: "Charlotte, that was beautifully sung. Well done, you." Kate said it was good for the children to have so much musical equipment and asked Charlotte: "You're able to express yourself and really enjoy yourself?" to which the girl replied: "Definitely."
Meeting Young Patients and Their Families
The future queen also met four-year-old Primrose Harvey, who has a rare congenital heart defect called hypoplastic right-heart syndrome, and her parents who regularly bring her to The Treehouse. The little girl's mother, Katie, told the princess that Primrose has had three heart surgeries, including one at six days old and another only two weeks ago.
Kate told Primrose's mother: "Super brave girl and brave parents too." Mrs Harvey said it was "lovely" to speak to the Princess of Wales about her daughter and the support they receive. She said: "It was really lovely just to talk about, you know, how amazing Each is for us as a family. It's really nice for her to come here and see first-hand how much they do for families."
Music and Bereavement Support
Meanwhile, Freddie Ormrod, 11, who has the mitochondrial genetic disorder Leigh syndrome, which causes epileptic seizures and profound physical disability, played chimes and a tambourine during Kate's visit. Freddie's father, James, jokingly told the princess there was only so long he could listen to the chimes, to which she replied: "It is noisy. Often in our household, the noisier the instrument the better."
Kate also met a group of bereaved parents, who are still supported by the hospice, and she listened to their stories while giving one of them a hug.
Hospice Expansion Tour
Earlier, the princess, who was wearing a dark green blazer and trousers, donned a white hard hat and orange hi-vis vest to visit a construction site where the hospice is being expanded, including a new hydrotherapy pool, a wellbeing and therapies suite, and a new bedroom that will be completed in 2028.
She spent a while speaking to a group for bereaved families who told her about the importance of having someone to talk to after losing a child. Sam Morley, who has been attending the bereavement group since her 17-year-old son Euan, who had a degenerative neurological condition, died two years ago, said Kate was "very interested and very empathetic".
Ms Morley added: "She was asking a lot about the bereavement support for not only us but other siblings and things like that." She said Euan "loved" coming to The Treehouse hospice, and said: "He absolutely loved music. That was our big thing."
