By Katie Nicholl The Duchess of Cambridge will use the Royal tour of New Zealand and Australia to champion the cause closest to her heart – the children’s hospice movement. The Duchess is its most high-profile ambassador and she plans to use the tour, which starts tomorrow, to highlight the importance of palliative care for sick children. It’s a movement that’s hardly recognised in Australia, where there are just two children’s hospices. Sources close to Kate say her visits to Rainbow Place in Hamilton, New Zealand, and Bear Cottage in Manly, a suburb of Sydney, mark a decisive new step in her philanthropic work, as well as a touching acknowledgement of the mother-in-law she never met.
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The Duchess of Cambridge will visit two children's hospices during the tour
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Kate is already known for her work to raise awareness of hospices
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Supporting sick children was also a cause close to Princess Diana's heart
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The tour will be Prince George's first extended trip with his parents
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Diana's tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1983 made her a global celebrity
@placeholder will conduct the first hospice visit by herself on Saturday at Rainbow Place.
‘@placeholder’s visit will showcase to Australia and the world that children’s hospices are happy places, filled with love, care and positive memories.’