Princess Kate and Prince William's 'countless' secret acts of kindness revealed by insider

The Prince and were praised for their by some of their close friends, who claimed that even "in this toughest of years" the couple's focus on helping others "does not stop".

and Princess Kate were recently voted the in two new polls from magazine.

Following that, friends of the royal couple shared how they carry their compassion behind closed doors and how they strive to promote empathy through their work.

One close source told the outlet: "Behind the scenes, there are countless letters, messages, visits, phone calls that nobody knows about.

"But even in this toughest of years, this focus on helping others does not stop."

A friend of William and Kate's added: "Empathy and compassion are so important to the Prince and Princess of Wales.

"They're incredibly kind people who really care about the work they do."

The heir to the throne has recently opened up about how he and Kate strive to teach empathy to their three children - , , and .

During an interview at the end of his South Africa tour last week, William said: "I'm also going to throw empathy in there as well because I really care about what I do. It helps impact people's lives.

"And I think we could do with some more empathetic leadership around the world.

"So that's what I'm trying to bring, that's what Catherine is trying to bring as well."

Just last month, when she attended a private meeting at Windsor Castle following an investiture ceremony and spoke with an aspiring teenage photographer with a rare and aggressive form of cancer.

In photographs released by Kensington Palace, the Princess of Wales was seen hugging 16-year-old Liz Hatton, from Harrogate who later described the day as "truly incredible".