A children's hospice backed by the Royal Family has been forced to close after Covid-19 blew a £2million hole in its finances.
Sophie, Countess of Wessex, patron of Shooting Star Children’s Hospices, has been left “incredibly saddened” after it shut one of two sites dedicated to helping 800 seriously ill kids.
The charity, which has been visited by other senior royals including Prince Charles and Camilla, and the Duchess of Cambridge, offers emergency respite and end-of-life care.
But a Mirror probe has discovered it is one of dozens of hospices, which rely on the public’s generosity, facing unprecedented hardship.