Britain's Princess Beatrice visited the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh yesterday (19.09.13).
The 25-year-old royal marked her first official engagement as the patron of The Sick Kids Friends Foundation by calling by the hospital in Scotland to meet the staff, patients and parents as well as tour the drop-in centre funded by the organisation and learn first-hand about its work.
The princess was appointed patron in July after following in the footsteps of her great-grandmother, who held the same role from 1992 until she passed away in 2002.
David Reith, chairman of the foundation's board of trustees, said: "The princess was very interested in seeing the hospital and what the Sick Kids Friends Foundation has contributed, but also in meeting the families and seeing the impact which the equipment which we provide has for the patients, families and staff.
"It was a great honour that she came and we are thrilled to have her as our royal patron."
The visit lifted the spirits of the sick children undergoing treatment in the hospital and the young royal even received a bunch of flowers from a patient, who was over the moon to see her.
Maureen Harrison, chief executive of the charity, said: "It was important for Princess Beatrice that she could come and see first-hand how the funding from the Sick Kids Friends Foundation is used and to understand how the children and families benefit from that provision.
"I think she was also very interested to learn that the families we support come from all over Scotland for the specialist services here.
"Clearly it's hugely beneficial to have such a high-profile and lovely patron. I think it gave everyone a boost, not just the children, families and staff who she met but the whole hospital."
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