Princess Beatrice has praised a children’s hospice for doing "invaluable work".
The 28-year-old royal visited the Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice’s Russell House unit in Huddersfield, west Yorkshire – which supports youngsters with life-shortening conditions – and brought along presents and cakes for the kids.
Beatrice – who is a patron of the charity and opened the centre in 2013 – said: "I am incredibly proud to be patron of Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice and feel privileged to share with you the invaluable work the charity does in supporting children with life-shortening conditions and their families.
"We really need to think of a new word for hospice as this is so much more than that, it is a magical place, it is a family and I’m delighted to be a part of that family."
Beatrice met families and youngsters at the Alice in Wonderland-themed Christmas party and was presented with a bouquet of flowers by nine-year-old Milly-May Dyson.
Peter Branson, chief executive of Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice, accompanied the royal on the tour and thanked her afterwards for her "wonderful support".
He said: "It has been absolutely fantastic to have Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice here to meet our children and families.
"Princess Beatrice has been a wonderful supporter of our charity for over three years now and it was great to be able to welcome her to Russell House again and share some of our families’ stories.
"Quite simply, we are here to say yes to every family who needs our support, and being able to give them magical experiences like meeting a real princess was fantastic and they have all gone away with memories that will last a lifetime."
Princess Beatrice praises ‘invaluable’ children’s hospice
