Kate Middleton Awarded Her First Royal Patronage

Kate Middleton is following in the footsteps of the late Princess Diana's charitable efforts as she takes on her first royal patronage of The Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry.

The Duchess of Cambridge has worked closely with the Foundation since she married Prince William in April, but has only just been recognized as a patron for her charitable efforts and interests.

The foundation was established in 2009 in an aim to enable the two princes to take forward their charitable ambitions and achieve their desired goals.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, together with Prince Harry will be taking a specific focus on giving guidance to young people and offer support in critical times of their lives. Another mission they will be taking on is to support the armed forces, especially those who return from conflict areas. They will work to raise awareness about the environment, particularly informing people of sustainable models that will help conserve resources.

We are incredibly lucky, Harry and I. We know that. But both our father and our mother instilled in us, from the word go, that with these great privileges goes an absolute responsibility to give back, Prince William Said.

In addition to her work for the foundation, The Duchess will support a number of national arts institution, the Daily Telegraph reported, possibly including The Tate, the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery and the V&A.

The Duchess who has a long standing interest in the arts is expected to become patron of many art institutions in the United Kingdom, and will also act as an ambassador to institutions that are already affiliated with the royal family. She is also considering working with less known, smaller institutions in the arts, although these decisions will not be announced until next year.

The Duchess is meeting people at all levels in arts institutions to learn more about the workings of a gallery, how exhibitions are put together and how works of art come together, before deciding which organizations she will support, a royal aide told the Daily Telegraph.

The Duchess has had a long standing passion for the arts. During her gap year in 2001 she studied art history at the British Institute in Florence, before she went to the University of St Andrew's to study History of Art. She wrote her university dissertation on the photography of Alice in Wonderland.