The Princess of Wales made two secret, unplanned trips at the end of her visit to British textile manufacturers in West Wales this week, including popping into a local charity shop.
Kate, 44, took a quick tour of the Ty Hafan shop in Lampeter - a cause close to her heart as she's been patron of the hospice since January 2025, following in the footsteps of her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana. The Princess didn't have time to buy anything, but made sure to look around and greeted crowds outside, thanking staff for all the work that they do for the charity
Maree Thomas, regional sales manager, told PEOPLE Magazine: "She thanked both the volunteers and staff, chatted while taking photos, and insisted on quickly seeing the haberdashery section despite her team advising she didn’t have time. She also signed our customer comments book. The visit was brief and unplanned, [she] clearly took time out for us and was very engaged and we were thrilled to welcome her and her team. We were all over the moon and on a real high following this special event."
To finish her day celebrating Welsh textiles, the Princess also privately visited the Welsh Quilt Centre in Lampeter. There, founder Jen Jones has a vast collection of quilts, opening the centre in 2009 to give everyone the opportunity to see, enjoy and learn about her remarkable collection as well as examples from other quilting heritages.
© Andrew Parsons / Kensington PalaThe Princess viewed some of Jen’s 1000+ piece collection and joined a quilting workshop of eight local women to hear about their current projects and their passion for keeping the historic art of quilting alive. The women spoke to the Princess about using quilting as a tool for connection and to foster a sense of belonging within their community.
Kate's important work with new patronage
The Princess of Wales has been the patron of Tŷ Hafan, a children's hospice based in Sully, near Cardiff, since January 2025. That month, she made an unannounced visit to the hospice in South Wales, describing the work they do as a "lifeline".
© Andrew Parsons / Kensington PalaceThe wellbeing of children and families has always been close to Kate's heart, with EACH (East Anglia's Children's Hospice) being one of her first patronages after she married Prince William. She maintains a close relationship with the organisation to this day. HELLO! understands the Princess is looking forward to building a similar relationship with Tŷ Hafan and the children and families it serves in Wales.
Ty Hafan was founded in 1999 by Suzanne Goodall, after a fundraising campaign lasting more than a decade, when she discovered there was no children’s hospice in Wales. Princess Diana was patron during the fundraising phase and Charles first took up the role in 2001.
Irfon Rees, chief executive of Ty Hafan, based in the village of Sully near Cardiff, said at the time: "We are deeply honoured that Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales has become patron of Ty Hafan and it was an absolute pleasure to welcome Her Royal Highness to our hospice for the first time today.
"As our patron, Her Royal Highness will be an inspiration for children with life-shortening conditions and their families, our dedicated staff and volunteers and everyone who so generously supports us."
