KATE Middleton was snapped grinning as she cuddled an adorable puppy as Prince William cooed over the pooch during their second outing in two days.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge met a hospital's new four-legged recruit when they visitedthe Clitheroe Community Hospital in Lancashire this afternoon to thank staff for their work throughout the pandemic.

Wills and Kate were pictured making friends with cute 10-week old cockapoo Alfie, who will be trained to support patients and colleagues at the East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust alongside therapy dog Jasper.

Kate, wearing a long camel coat and boots, described the pup – who licked Wills' cheek – as "so sweet" but, after enjoying a cuddle, added: "Our dog is going to be very upset."

Dog-lover Kate, 40, was devastated when the family's English cocker spaniel Lupo died in November 2020.

Lupo was bred from a dog owned by Kate’s parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, and was a gift.

But much to her delight, they had welcomed a new four-legged to the family just months before Lupo's passing – an eight month old puppy reportedly given to them by Kate's brother, James Middleton.

During their hospital visit today, the could also met with GPS, nurses and patients.

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William told staff: "We're so grateful for all your hard work. I'm not sure there are enough words to say how grateful everyone is for what you have done."

He said he had a particular affinity with staff because of his time as an air ambulance pilot.

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Lisa Kay, intensive home support service clinical lead, said: "That was great to hear because it's not every day you get a royal visit to say thank you.

"It has been a huge morale boost."

Patient Bill Taylor, 94, was asked by the royals about the care he had received at the hospital and joked: "They're trying their best but there's some awkward buggers."

The retired policeman praised the hospital food, telling the couple he had a "grand" meat and potato pie for his lunch.

He said: "We all enjoy ourselves up here. But we'd like you to come up more often."

The Duke and Duchess, who are joint royal patrons of NHS Charities Together, heard how support from hospital charity ELHT&Me had helped staff at the trust, which is in one of the areas of the country worst affected by Covid.

A grant of more than £300,000 from NHS Charities Together, following the public response to its Covid-19 Urgent Appeal, allowed the charity to fund equipment and infrastructure for the staff wellbeing team – as well as the new therapy dog.

Director of operations Catriona Logan said Kate was "really interested" to know how the pandemic had been for staff.

She said: "We talked about how difficult it was for patients and families being separated by visiting restrictions. She was really engaging."

"Their Royal Highnesses are visiting to hear how support from #ELHTandMe, using a grant from #NHS Charities Together, has helped support exhausted colleagues."

KEEPING UP APPEARANCES

It comes after the couple were all smiles as they met with staff at London's Foundling Museum yesterday.

It tells the story of the Foundling Hospital – Britain's first home for children at risk of abandonment – which Kate became patron of in 2019.

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They also met with people who have direct experience of living in care, including author and poet Lemn Sissay and former sprint and field athlete Kriss Akabusi.

Kate, who last year set up her Centre for Early Childhood, spoke with charity bosses who discussed homelessness, mental health impact and helping young people in care who fail or slip through the cracks.

But during the outing, Wills dodged the drama surrounding his own family yesterday during his first royal engagement since the Queen cast Prince Andrew out of the Firm.

The Duke of Cambridge ignored a TV crew asking if he "supported" his uncle, who was last week stripped of his royal and military titles amid growing anger at his sex assault lawsuit.

During his visit to London's Foundling Museum, a reporter asked William: "Do you support Prince Andrew?"

The prince leaned in closer to hear but then walked past without commenting.

Both he and the duchess kept up appearances throughout the engagement while Andrew comes to terms with life out of the royal spotlight.

The Queen stripped him of his "His Royal Highness" status and military honours during a face-to-face showdown last week before Buckingham Palace made it official later that day.

He is accused of sexually assaulting Virginia Roberts Giuffre when she was just 17 and must now face his US case as a "private citizen" meaning he can't hide behind royal privileges.

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