Duchess of Cambridge

She maybe the Duchess of Cambridge within British royal circles, but Kate Middleton somehow finds time in the midst of being a wife and mother within the royal line of succession to fulfill her royal duties in an extraordinarily personal and compassionate way. Though she and Prince William are careful to protect their family time with Prince George and Princess Charlotte, in her official role the Duchess of Cambridge has energetically reached out to the public on behalf of children and young people.

Recently Her Royal Highness, the Duchess of Cambridge, served as guest editor for the Huffington Post supporting that publication's "Young Minds Matter" digital initiative intended to promote a global conversation to "discuss the problems, causes and most importantly solutions to the UK's mental health crisis among children."

"The mental health of our children," writes the Duchess, "must be seen as every bit as important as their physical health. For too long we have been embarrassed to admit when our children need emotional or psychiatric help, worried that the stigma associated with these problems would be detrimental to their futures."

Speaking as a mother and making the mental health issue very personal, the Duchess continued, "Like most parents today, William and I would not hesitate to seek help for our children if they needed it. We hope to encourage George and Charlotte to speak about their feelings, and to give them the tools and sensitivity to be supportive peers to their friends as they get older. We know there is no shame in a young child struggling with their emotions or suffering mental illness."

The Duchess also serves as royal patron of the children's mental health charity "Place2Be," which provides counseling for children in schools. She recently released a video message of support for Children's Mental Health Week in the United Kingdom. "This Children's Mental Health Week," she tells viewers, "we want to support schools to prioritize the emotional well-being of their students, alongside academic success."

The video takes the form of a three-way conversation between Kate Middleton, four students from Salusbury Park Primary School in Queen's Park, northwest London, and the viewing audience. As the children talk with the Duchess, one boy notes, "Place2Be has helped me quite a lot. If it wasn't in school, I don't think I'd be able to cope as much." Turning to camera, the Duchess observes, "While we cannot always change a child's circumstances, we can give them the tools to cope and to thrive."

Demonstrating that her commitment to young people is not limited to mental health concerns, the Duchess of Cambridge recently made her first appearance as Honorary Air Commandant of the Royal Air Force Air Cadets, a post she has taken over from her father-in-law Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh after his 63 years of serving as Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Air Cadets.

The day began with a service at RAF Church St. Clement Danes, London and then proceeded to a reception held at the nearby Royal Courts of Justice. Throughout the day's ceremonies, the Duchess of Cambridge wore a striking RAF brooch of diamonds and rubies. It has become RAF Air Cadet tradition that the outstanding male Air Cadet has received the honor of wearing a dress sword and the outstanding female Air Cadet has received the honor of wearing the brooch. This tradition continued until last year when it was decided female cadets should receive the dress sword as do their male counterparts. With that, the Air Cadets decided to gift the brooch to the Duchess of Cambridge following her appointment as Honorary Air Commandant of the organization.

The Duchess of Cambridge expressed her delight at this opportunity to develop a new link in her affiliation with the RAF family. "I believe that the Air Cadets," she stated, "bring genuine benefit to our young people and indeed wider society. The Cadets offer countless opportunities to develop leadership, teamwork skills and community spirit as well as self-confidence borne of testing boundaries in a safe but exciting environment."

She also revealed that Prince George has a passion for airplanes. Air Cadet recruiters have taken note and are counting down to the young Prince's twelfth birthday, at which point he will be able to join the organization