The Duchess of Cambridge has been secretly visiting the homeless and sick, following in the footsteps of the late Princess of Wales, the Daily Mail reports.
Kate has made a series of ‘under the radar’ trips in recent days to learn about several charities, according to St James’s Palace.
Her visits come before she makes a decision as to which she will formally support as a royal patron.
It is thought her focus will be on the homeless, vulnerable young people, veterans’ issues and conservation. However, she is using the next few months to learn more about a variety of good causes before she decides in the new year.
Her husband’s mother regularly made secret visits to homeless shelters, even taking the young Prince William with her.
The experience is said to have encouraged him to become a patron of the charity Centrepoint as an adult.
William later spent a night sleeping rough in sub-zero temperatures on the streets of London to raise the charity’s profile.
Princess Diana was renowned for her charity work and spent time helping children’s and cancer charities, as well as supporting the homeless, HIV and Aids sufferers and victims of landmines.
She even helped to save a tramp from drowning after her car was flagged down in Regent’s Park.
A palace source said that Kate had the Duke of Cambridge’s ‘full support’ but was researching the charities independently.
The couple, both 29, want to avoid overshadowing Queen Elizabeth II in the run-up to 2012, the 85-year-old monarch’s diamond jubilee year.