Every dog has its day — and Tuesday, April 23, belonged to a King Charles spaniel named Henry. Henry had the distinct honor of presenting Kate Middleton with a dog hamper for her own beloved pooch, Lupo, when the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge visited the Willows Primary School in Manchester, England, to launch a new counseling program on behalf of Action on Addiction, Place2Be, Comic Relief, and the Royal Foundation. See more photos of Kate Middleton in her Erdem dress.
Arriving at the school on Tuesday afternoon, Prince William's wife met with students and other well-wishers, including Henry, the head teacher's pup. An onlooker tells Us Weekly she "seemed enamored" with the dog and accepted his gift by exclaiming, "Henry! You shouldn't have gone to all this trouble for me!"
Inside the school, the 31-year-old Duchess attended a meeting with counselors from the addiction charities and then took a tour of the campus before gearing up for her speech. Stylish as ever in a bold, printed "Sophia" dress by Erdem, paired with dark blue pumps, Middleton delivered her remarks with confidence — though an eyewitness tells Us she "seemed a little nervous" beforehand.
"She was wringing her fingers and rubbing her thumb on her right hand," the onlooker says. "But all the nerves disappeared when she got up."
"Addiction is a hugely complex and destructive disease, and its impact can be simply devastating," the first-time mom-to-be began. "All too often, lives and families can be shattered by it."
"I have been struck by the profound and deeply damaging impact it has on the children of affected parents," she continued. "Last year I asked the Royal Foundation, which I share with [Princes] William and Harry, to see what could be done to help these children…Today it gives me an enormous feeling of pride and excitement to launch a program that will bring this research to life."
She concluded her speech by saying: "The cycle of addiction needs to be broken — my hope is that through this specialist and targeted care, these children will have the best possible start in life. The one that they deserve."
