Kate Middletonwrote a touching letter to midwives following her secret visit to a maternity ward at a London hospital last month.

“You are there for women at their most vulnerable; you witness strength, pain and unimaginable joy on a daily basis,” the royal mom of three wrote in a letter that begins “Dear Midwives” and is signed “Catherine.”

Kate’s visit comes as the World Health Organization (WHO) has designated 2020 as designated the “Year of the Nurse and Midwife” in honor of the 200th birth anniversary of the founder of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale.

Kate Middleton’s letter for International Year of the Nurse and Midwife (part one).Kensington Palace

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge letter to midwives

Kate Middleton’s letter for International Year of the Nurse and Midwife (part two).Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge letter to midwives

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge letter to midwives

Samir Hussein/WireImage

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge

Kate is determined to make a difference for children, parents and caregivers and has made the early years the focus of her public work. A steering group of professionals has been advising her and concluded its work last spring. In the coming months, that exploratory work will start to be put into action.

Thanking the group for their guidance, Kate said in May, “I hope my long-term commitment to working in the early years will help make a difference over a generational timescale. Your thoughts and advice will continue to be hugely valuable as I shape my thinking for the years ahead.”

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David Holmes, CEO of one of her charities,Family Action, and a member of the steering group, told PEOPLE earlier this year: “She has a really deep interest in the early years and parenting and families.”

“Being a parent changes your life so much,” he said. “It’s great that she’s using her own experience and is interested in an area which is such a shared experience for so many.”

source: people.com