In 1988, Princess Diana opened Acorns Hospice in Birmingham. The hospice provides specialized care for children across the country with life-threatening and life-limiting illnesses. Now, Prince William has traveled the halls of the hospice his mother championed, according to E! .
Over the years, the Acorns Hospice has helped over 870 children. According to People , it was one of the first children’s hospices in the world when it first opened.
The Duke of Cambridge took a tour of the facility in honor of its 30th anniversary. He met with three families who utilize the hospice’s services. While visiting, William stumbled across a plaque that bore his mothers name, commemorating her contribution to the charity. During the visit, the hospice’s president, Kay Alexander, spoke about Princess Diana.
“Thirty years ago HRH Diana, Princess of Wales, came here to open Acorns. I was here and it was great. It was a wonderful day, the accomplishment of so many dreams. It was only the third children’s hospice in the world… it means more to us than we say to have you coming here today.”
William’s visit to the hospice center was only one stop on his royal tour. In addition to visiting Acorns, the Duke also visited and participated in the first National SkillForce Prince William Award Graduation Ceremony, and unveiled a statue in Mary Stevens Park in Stourbridge honoring Major Frank Foley.
Foley was a “British Secret Intelligence officer who worked as a Passport Control Officer for the British embassy in Berlin and saved more than 10,000 Jewish people from persecution in Germany during the 1920s and 1930s by helping them exit the country.”
During the ceremony, William met with a number of Foley’s descendants.
William’s travels will take him overseas. The Duke of Cambridge will visit Namibia, Tanzania, and Kenya before going to the 2018 Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference in London.
The Duke isn’t the only royal who will be handling royal engagements. His brother, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex will embark on a two-week tour of Australia, Tonga, New Zealand, and Fiji with his wife, Meghan Markle. The trip will be Markle’s first royal engagement since the pair married. According to Town and Country , the pair’s visit begins October 16th and will see them in Sydney for the Invictus Games, which Prince Harry founded in 2014.
Kensington Palace released a statement on social media about Prince Harry and Markle’s trip.
“The programme across these four Commonwealth countries will focus on youth leadership, and environmental and conservation efforts, including the dedication of several new [Queen’s Canopy] projects. The Tour will also focus on the recovery and rehabilitation of servicemen and women through [the Invictus Games] 2018. #IG2018”
