Princess Kate visited one of the first charities she supported after marrying Prince William in 2011, returning to East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) and its Treehouse hospice on Thursday, October 22. The organization supports young people facing life-limiting conditions and their families, and while meeting with volunteers as the organization’s café and shop, the Princess of Wales gave an update on her own children.
“My kids are looking forward to it, and my parents as well,” Kate told a volunteer in an Instagram Reel shared by Hello! magazine, speaking about the upcoming half-term school break in the U.K. “Half-term is a good time to catch up again on family life.”
It's no wonder the Wales family (and Kate's parents, Carole and Michael Middleton) are excited about the school vacation. Prince George headed off to boarding school at Eton College in September, and while Eton had a short weekend break earlier in October, this will be the longest time the 13-year-old has been home in nearly two months.
Princess Kate talking about half-term
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"She said she's looking forward to George coming home—she's missed him,” Denise Ashton, who met the princess, told journalists, per Hello! “They may be going somewhere [during the break]," Ashton added.
When a boy told the Princess of Wales that Thursday was his last day of school before half-term, Kate shared her own excitement about the time off. "My children break up tomorrow and I can't wait to have them all home," she shared.
Although Eton College is a short drive from Prince William and Princess Kate's Windsor home, Forest Lodge, George is living in a completely different world as a full-time boarder. Meanwhile, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, 8, still attend Lambrook School as day students.
During her visit to The Treehouse, Princess Kate donned a hard hat and high-visibility vest to view construction on the hospice's expansion, which will allow the facility to provide even more treatments and services to families. A new kitchen and dining area, expanded treatment rooms, a hydrotherapy pool and a dedicated area for teenagers will be complete in 2028.
The princess also took part in sensory and music therapy sessions with children and their families before heading to EACH's dedicated café and shop, which raises money for the network of three children's hospices.