Kate Middleton now Scout volunteer

LONDON, Jan. 4 (UPI) -- The duchess of Cambridge has begun her first full year as a member of the British royal family by announcing the charities she has selected for patronage.

The Scout Association heads the list of Kate Middleton's charities released Wednesday, The Guardian reported Wednesday. The duchess, a former Brownie who married Prince William last April, plans to volunteer with Scout groups as her schedule allows.

"The bottom line is that she wants to help on a regular basis and we are delighted," Simon Carter, a spokesman for the association, said, adding that her involvement is likely to encourage others to volunteer.

A royal spokesman said most of her volunteering will probably be in North Wales, where she and William live while he serves as a helicopter rescue pilot. Like any volunteers working with children, the duchess, who turns 30 Monday, went through a criminal background check.

The other charities on the duchess' list are Action on Addiction, a group helping drug abusers, the East Anglia Children's Hospices, and two reflecting her background as an art history major -- the Art Room, which runs programs for children, and the National Portrait Gallery.