Watch Kate Middleton Give Her First-Ever Royal Speech!

Duchess gives her first public remarks as a member of the royal family, delivering a speech at the opening of the East Anglia Children's Hospice, of which she is patron

She speaks! And how.

Kate Middleton has been all about the firsts lately—and today she chalked up another, delivering her inaugural public speech as a member of the royal family.

And yes, she's just as posh and proper as you'd expect a duchess and future queen of England to be.

Middleton—who incidentally is not above recycled fashion, donning a blue-belted Reiss dress, the very same that her mother wore to Royal Ascot two years ago—delivered her remarks at the opening of the Treehouse at the East Anglia Children's Hospice, of which she recently became patron.

It's the first time she's officially spoken publicly since becoming a duchess nearly a year ago.

Keeping it short and oh-so-sweet (clocking in just under three minutes), Kate delivered her remarks to a small group (one must be eased in slowly, after all).

"First of all, I'd like to say thank you," she began. "Thank you for not only accepting me as your patron, thank you also for inviting me here today. You have all made me so welcome and I feel hugely honored to be here to see this wonderful center.

"I'm only sorry that William can't be here today," she said, drawing laughs. "He would love it here. A view of his that I share is that through teamwork, so much can be achieved. What you have all achieved here is extraordinary."

Staying calm and collected (and rather stately) throughout, Kate went on to praise the center and centers like it for their tireless efforts.

"What you do is inspirational, it is a shining example of the support and the care that is delivered not just here but in the children's hospice movement at large up and down the country. The feelings you inspire, feelings of love and of hope, offer a chance to families to live a life they never thought could be possible. So thank you again for inviting me here today. I feel enormously proud to be part of each and to see the wonderful life-changing work that you do. Thank you."

The outing is just the latest in Kate's rapidly increasing public profile, as she's been making more and more appearances this year, particularly during Prince William's Falklands tenure.