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Following in the footsteps of her husband’s mother Princess Diana, whose concern for children’s issues was evidenced in the charities she chose to lend her official support, Duchess Kate has accepted honorary positions with several organizations that help young people, St. James Palace revealed.
A Brownie during her own childhood, the Duchess of Cambridge will serve as a volunteer leader with the youngest scouts — Beaver Scouts and Cub Scouts — near the home she shares with her husband William in north Wales, where he is stationed with the Royal Air Force. She joins the ranks of nearly 100,000 other scout volunteers across the United Kingdom.
At the age of 8, Kate enrolled as a Brownie with the 1st St Andrew's pack in Pangbourne, Berkshire. According to the Scout Association, Kate will help with the day-to-day working of her packs as well as activities such as running games, teaching first aid, and helping out with cooking and campfires.
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In addition to the Scout Association, Kate has become a patron of the East Anglia's Children's Hospices and The Art Room, which works with children to increase their self-esteem, self-confidence and independence through art. Her other charity choices: Action on Addiction, an anti-drug organization, and the National Portrait Gallery.
Princess Diana lent her support to the Great Ormond St. Hospital for Children NHS Trust and charities that worked to help children with leukemia and disadvantaged and at-risk young people. She also crusaded against landmines, many of whose victims are children who blunder into them innocently.
Slideshow: Duchess Kate’s royal style (on this page)Over the coming months, Kate will make private and public visits to the charities she has chosen. Since September, she has been researching charities to support and has already made a series of private visits to a number of organizations. Her patronage choices reflect her personal interests in the arts, the promotion of outdoor activity, and the support of young people in need, the palace said.
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While charity patronages are considered an important activity for members of the royal family, the charities chosen also get a real boost from the publicity. Only hours after the announcement, Kate's photo is already front and center on the websites of the charities chosen.
"The Duchess has an incredibly busy life, which makes it all the more inspiring that she has chosen to volunteer alongside us," said chief scout Bear Grylls in a news release.
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