Kate Middleton opens new hospice for one of her first patronages - best photos

The Duchess of Cambridge had an emotional engagement, as she opened a new hospice for one of her first royal patronages on Friday. Kate, 37, visited East Anglia's Children's Hospices' (EACH) new site The Nook in Framingham Earl, Norfolk, where she met with children and their families.

It was a particularly poignant day for the Duchess, who helped to launch the £10m appeal for the new hospice in November 2014. Kate also visited the charity’s previous Norfolk hospice in Quidenham in January 2017, which served as a home-from-home for over 25 years. Keep clicking to see more photos….

The Duchess arrived at The Nook, wearing a purple Oscar de la Renta suit dress, which she was also spotted wearing in January for a visit to the Royal Opera House in London. Her brunette locks were styled into her signature loose waves.

Upon arrival, the Duchess met Stanley Harrold, three, who has a rare chromosomal disorder Pallister-Killian syndrome.

Kate met students, aged 11 and 12, from Framingham Earl High School and Hobart High School, who had helped children from the local primary school Poringland, to raise more than £1,000 for the Nook appeal. Niamh Bell, 11, who chatted with the Duchess, tells HELLO! “Kate said what a great place The Nook is and how wonderful it was for us to help.”

The mum-of-three showed off her maternal side, as she asked another school pupil,  Parslow-Williams, if she was feeling cold and gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder.

Kate meets hospital staff during her visit to the East Anglia's Children's Hospices' new hospice The Nook.

Duchess Kate meets more young children and their families who benefit from the hospice during her visit on Friday.

The Duchess got stuck into some sweet treats with a young patient and staff member at the hospice.

Kate is lost in conversation with patients and families at East Anglia's Children's Hospices' new hospice The Nook in Framingham Earl, Norfolk.

Kate spoke to the parents of Isabella Alford, ten, from Thetford, who has a rare progressive neurological genetic condition. Her mother Deborah Alford, 44, said Isabella's health had deteriorated in the last 18 months, meaning she now struggles with breathing when sitting in a wheelchair and must lie on a bed instead.

"She (Kate) asked if Isabella could hear and if she could see, and I explained that Isabella could see just in front of her," said Mrs Alford. "She came to her eye level so that Isabella could see her and there was good eye contact. She (Isabella) moved her eyes to look directly at her. Isabella's father James Alford, 51, said the duchess was "so caring", and his wife added: "She immediately puts you at ease."

Kate invited a group of four children, who she called "my army of little helpers", to help her unveil a plaque to mark the official opening of The Nook. As flashbulbs went off from the assembled media, one of them said: "Which camera should I look at?" Kate laughed, before telling the group: "Well done."

Speaking before she unveiled the plaque, she said: "EACH was one of the very first charities that I decided to become patron of after my marriage. Whilst a lot has changed since then, my commitment and support for this wonderful organisation and the work that you do has not."

Kate has been a patron of EACH since 2012 and officially opened its hospice in Ipswich called The Treehouse that year. She added during her speech on Friday that she would remember her visit to The Treehouse "for some years to come - it was my first ever speech". She said: "I referred to your hospices then as being homes. This visit today has only reinforced for me just what is at the heart of what you are doing throughout your work, and that is family."

Kate gave a thumbs-up and huge grin to the crowds waiting outside the hospice following her tour of the building. 

The mum-of-three looked in great spirits as she made her way to a waiting black Range Rover following her meet-and-greet with the patients and families who rely on The Nook, and her tour of the facilities, which include a hydrotherapy pool and sensory room. The new building, which contains more areas for clinical care and dedicated therapy rooms, will allow EACH to meet the increased demand for its service and the ever-changing and more complex needs of those it cares for.