The Duke and Duchess of
Cambridge have observed the first-ever Cambridgeshire County Day, which
showcased its people and organizations.
The event was held at
Newmarket’s July racecourse, near the Suffolk border.
Before attending the event,
the royal couple were at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, where the first
official painted portrait of the pair was unveiled.
They also visited a local
children’s hospice and a homelessness charity.
The duchess is patron of East
Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (Each) and the couple took time to visit its
branch in Milton, close to Cambridge.
This year marks the 10th
anniversary of the duchess’s patronage of Each, but it was her first public
visit to the hospice and the first time the duke had accompanied her to see the
work of the charity.
The couple toured the site,
which was opened by Diana, Princess of Wales, on 1 August 1989, and met with
children, young people and families who use its services.
They also joined in with some
art activities.
Before departing, William and
Catherine met the bereaved family of four-year-old Douglas Wright, who died
from a rare cancer called neuroblastoma in February 2018.
As the couple sat down with
the Wright family, they were told about the end-of-life care he had received.
“It brings back all the
memories,” Douglas’s mother Jane said, as she spoke about being back at
the hospice.
The charity’s chief executive,
Phil Gormley, described the royal visit as “memorable and momentous”.
The pair then went on to visit
housing charity Jimmy’s, to hear about the support they offer to individuals
experiencing homelessness in Cambridge.
They then arrived at the first
Cambridgeshire County Day – an event which was also a celebration of the
Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
William and Catherine took
part in a football game where they both attempted to kick a ball at a target.
Kate told the crowd it would
be difficult as she was “wearing wedges”.
After taking a shot, the
duchess shook the hand of a boy who had been playing before her, and said:
“You did better than I did.”
