Kate Middleton visited a women’s prison when she resumed her public duties after her cancer treatment last year. Kate, 43, met with prisoners, staff, and former residents of the Mother and Baby unit at HMP Styal in the northwest of England yesterday.
Here’s how Kate Middleton’s visit to the prison went
Kensington Palace said the visit was intended to ’emphasize the importance of strong, loving, and consistent mother-baby relationships for a child’s development, even in the most challenging environments.’
The princess arrived at the prison yesterday afternoon, where she planned to visit the on-site nursery, meet with a group of current prisoners, and learn about the support the unit offers, including targeted interventions and parenting support. The unit is run by the charity Action for Children, of which Kate became a patron in 2016, taking over from Queen Elizabeth.
The Princess of Wales visits a mother and baby unit of Action For Children in HMP Styal, a prison and youth detention center near Wilmslow.
Kate Middleton’s Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood
‘Action for Children operates three MBUs in prisons in northern England, all of which provide a special place for new and expectant mothers serving a prison sentence or in custody awaiting trial,’ Kensington Palace said in a statement about the visit.
‘Prisoners live in a separate area of the prison and are supported in caring for their babies by trained prison staff and early years and family support professionals. The aim of the MBU is to build and maintain a strong bond between mother and child, in line with evidence that a crucial psychological attachment process occurs between babies and their primary caregiver in the first months of life, influencing later development.’
The visit feeds into Kate’s longstanding interest in raising awareness of the importance of early childhood. She has been working in this field for over ten years and established the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood in 2021.
This is Kate’s second official engagement of the month as she gradually returns to work in 2025. Last week, she joined schoolchildren on a trip to the National Portrait Gallery, arriving with them on a bus.
