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Kate Middleton Gets Emotional, Cries at Children’s Hospice Launch

Kate Middleton
Kate Middleton got emotional at a charity event.

Kate Middleton is one empathetic royal. The Duchess of Cambridge, 32, got emotional at an event on Tuesday, Nov. 25, breaking down as she spoke to a woman who had been through a tragic time. 

Four months pregnant with her second child, Middleton had a royal engagement at the appeal launch event of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH). She spoke to guests at the charity event in Norfolk, England, and got to know a woman named Leigh Smith. 

Related: PHOTOS: Kate Middleton's Childhood Album

Smith, a 33-year-old British physiotherapist, opened up to the Duchess about a hard time she had gone through earlier this year. Smith lost her daughter Beatrice when the baby girl died at just 3 months old this past February, after suffering from a heart condition called cardiomyopathy. 

“I wrote to Kate after Beatrice’s death to tell her about the amazing support I’d received from EACH,” Smith told reporters at the event. “She wrote a personal letter back to me saying what an honor it was to hear my story. I thought that was so lovely as obviously it was such an honor to hear back from her. She said she was very touched to hear Beatrice’s story.” 

kate in norfolk
Kate Middleton visits an EACH (East Anglia Children’s Hospice) Appeal Launch Event at Norfolk Showground on November 25, 2014 in Norwich, England

Related: PHOTOS: Kate Middleton's Chic Second Pregnancy Looks

The two women spent time together at the launch, which is a special project of Middleton’s, as she serves as patron for the charitable organization. The mother to Prince George hugged Smith and told her with tears in her eyes, “You’re a very brave lady — I’m just so, so sorry.”

Despite her loss, Smith spoke of the help that EACH had given her during her daughter’s short life. “You can’t put a price on what EACH have given to every one of us,” she said. “After a long night holding Beatrice in my arms she passed away on February 24 this year. EACH made arrangements for Beatrice to travel home to Norfolk and we met her at Quidenham Hospital. She arrived in a Moses basket and had her own room with her name on the door and was cared for with such respect and dignity.”

Related: PHOTOS: Kate and Diana's Royal Style

Celebrating her cause, Prince William‘s wife looked gorgeous at the event. She wore a sleeved, red Katherine Hooker dress, which showed off her tiny baby bump, paired with a stylish ponytail and black pumps.

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