On the fifth day of their Caribbean royal tour, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, accompanied by her husband Prince William, headed out for an engagement close to her heart.
Arriving at a local Jamaican hospital’s maternity ward on Wednesday, the devoted mother-of-three was spotted admiring photos of newborn children posted on the walls around the Spanish Town Hospital.
Dubbed the “wall of triumph” in the neonatal unit, the pictures showed all the premature babies Spanish Town Hospital staff have nursed to health through the years.
The royal couple were in awe of the wall of “tiny heroes”.
(Image: Getty)“See how tiny the nappies are,” she said as she looked on, likely recalling her own experiences when each of her children were just newborns.
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Catherine and William were also shown through a ward where the most critical premature infants are treated, the duchess watching over babies resting in tiny incubators.
Meanwhile, William addressed staff as he urged them to take care of their own mental health while doing such incredible and life-saving work.
He told them: “Every day you’re doing the same thing, saving lives and being total heroes. So please look after yourselves.”
The visit was dedicated to meeting health workers including doctors and nurses who explained to the royal couple how the COVID-10 pandemic had affected local medical infrastructure.
But it also tied into Catherine’s personal interest and investment in the early years of childhood, an area she has been working tirelessly in for years now.
It was a focal point as she and William then travelled to the nearby Shortwood Teacher Training College in Kingston, where they met with teachers and children and Catherine gave her first speech of the tour.
“It is so wonderful to hear your ideas and enthusiasm for teaching and the hopes you have to influence the lives of young people,” she told the staff and teachers in training.
Catherine delighted local children with her visit on Wednesday.
(Image: Getty)“That is why I am so passionate about early childhood. Because we are doing something much more than building healthy children.
“We are nurturing the children and the adults that they will become, the families they will build and the communities they will be part of.”
The mother-of-three was all smiles as she interacted with the young students too, laughing and joking with the five- and six-year-olds who were thrilled by the exciting royal visit.
With their own children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis – back home in the UK, it was refreshing to see the couple briefly go into “Mum and Dad mode” with the local kids.
WATCH: William and Catherine release touching family video to celebrate their anniversary. Story continues after video.
The duke and duchess revealed in an earlier royal tour outing that they keep in close contact with their children while abroad, and their eldest George likes to keep track of their travels.
“We let them know where we are and he finds us on the map and puts a pin in it and shares with the others,” William said, via The Sun.
It’s not the first time he’s opened up about the realities of royal travel with three young ones at home either.
“They are always asking us where we are going… we show them where we are on the map,” William said during a visit to Wales earlier this month, People reported.
