Kate Middleton wearing a royal blue coat dress- 24 Pics

The former Kate Middleton delivered her first speech as Catherine Duchess of Cambridge, at The Treehouse, a children’s hospice in Ipswich in southeast England.

The Duchess of Cambridge looked calm and confident as she gave her first public address.

The duchess is the royal patron of the East Anglia Children’s Hospices, which runs Treehouse. She was greeted warmly, met with children and their families, planted a tree and gave a short talk about the “inspirational” work of the hospice.

“I’m only sorry that (Prince) William can’t be here today, he would love it here,” she said as the audience chuckled. “What you’ve achieved here is extraordinary.”

She wore a royal blue, double-breasted coatdress cinched at the waist with a black belt, with black suede pumps.

And instead of buying a new outfit for the landmark occasion, Kate chose to recycle the Trina dress by high street retailer Reiss that the duchess’ mother, Carole Middleton, had been spotted wearing in June 2010.