Kate stops car for chat with 'hello princess' girl

Catherine, Princess of Wales, has delighted a small girl who was calling to her by stopping the royal car and jumping out to have a chat.

In a highly unusual move, Catherine pulled over her convoy to speak to three-year-old Lily-Rose, who had been crying out "hello princess" as the royal left a knitwear and sock making factory.

The princess jogged over to shake Lily-Rose's hand and said: "I heard you say 'hello' from all the way back there and I wanted to come and see you."

Lily-Rose handed Catherine a toy banana outside the Corgi factory in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, and the little girl's mum Stacey Chorley said afterwards: "It was so exciting, we had no idea that was going to happen."

The princess's actions were remarkable because royal convoys rarely stop after they have left an engagement.

"I hope this is one of the things Lily-Rose will remember," said Stacey, 39, of Ammanford.

"Kate was so lovely, she's very natural and down to earth."

As Catherine handed Lily-Rose back her banana the young girl threw it on the floor and the princess had to bend down to retrieve it.

On another visit earlier in the day, Catherine was named patron of a south Wales children's hospice.

She visited Tŷ Hafan in Sully, Vale of Glamorgan, to meet children with life-shortening conditions and their families.

The princess has followed in the footsteps of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, and King Charles to become the figurehead of the organisation.

Kensington Palace said she was looking forward to building a close relationship with the hospice and those it served.

One of the families that have been supported by the charity are Emily and James Taylor.

The couple spent two weeks at the Tŷ Hafan hospice with their daughter Violet before she died.

Ms Taylor said the charity was a "safety net" for them and "did so much for Violet".

"They are amazing. I know they are going to be there for us for life."

The Taylors were invited to meet the Princess of Wales on Thursday to share their story.

Ms Taylor said the day was "so special" and she felt privileged to be able to represent all the families that used the charity's services.

"We are just one of the hundreds of families that Tŷ Hafan has supported, so to have someone like the Princess of Wales come here and be able to talk to her about our daughter it feels very profound and I think it's a day we are going to remember forever."

Irfon Rees, the charity's chief executive said: "We are deeply honoured that Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales has become patron of Tŷ Hafan.

"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."

Thursday's unannounced trip was the Princess of Wales' second this week as she continues to make a phased return to royal duties after having chemotherapy last summer.

Catherine made a surprise appearance at official commemorations, also attended by the Prince of Wales, marking Holocaust Memorial Day on Monday.

The flurry of royal engagements this week is not thought to indicate that the princess is fully back to work, but rather continuing her gradual resumption of official duties.

Kensington Palace said the first patronage Catherine took on after becoming a member of the Royal Family was EACH (East Anglia's Children's Hospice) and she maintained a close relationship with the organisation.

Tŷ Hafan – which is Welsh for Haven House – 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.

The hospice provides free care and support to children with life-shortening conditions and their families, both within the hospice and in homes and communities in Wales.