She saw where the prisoners’ babies play
THE Princess of Wales today visited a women’s jail to meet pregnant convicts and babies born behind bars.
Kate, 43, went to HMP Styal in Wilmslow, Cheshire, to visit a Mother and Baby Unit (MBU).
The mother-of-three, who is Patron of Action for Children, ventured inside the jail to highlight the importance of strong, loving and consistent mother and baby relationships to a child’s development, even in the most challenging of environments.
The Princess was seen beaming as she negotiated the wet weather under an umbrella.
In another snap, she gives a warm wave as she is escorted towards the unit by three escorts.
Later, Kate was pictured chatting with members of staff inside the unit, surrounded by children’s toys.
A sign behind her read: “Safe and happy childhood.”
Action for Children runs three MBUs inside prisons in the north of England, all of which provide a dedicated place for new and expectant mothers serving a prison sentence or on remand.
Prisoners live in a separate area of the prison and are supported to care for their babies by trained prison staff and early years and family support practitioners.
The MBU seeks to establish and maintain a strong bond between mother and child while behind bars.
It also looks to help women break the cycle of reoffending, which for all female offenders across England and Wales sits at a rate of 20.9 per cent.
Kate met staff and former residents to hear about the support provided – including high quality nursery provision, targeted interventions and parenting support for the on-site mothers.
Kate to meet families and kids on visit to children’s hospice in Wales
She also visited the on-site nursery to see where babies and children living on site can learn and play.
The Princess then met a group of current prisoners on the MBU to hear about how the charity is supporting them and their babies.
Kate established The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood in 2021.
Her visit is part of a “gradual” return to front-line duty after her cancer diagnosis.
In her last public appearance, Kate was joined by young children for an interactive day at the National Portrait Gallery in London last week.
The gallery had previously launched Kate’s Shaping Us Framework – a new project aiming to raise awareness and understanding of the importance of social and emotional skills across society.
The Princess was pictured playing teacher as she accompanied beaming pupils from All Souls CE Primary School on the school bus to the event – and helped them draw self-portraits.
At the end of January, Kate also visited Tŷ Hafan’s children’s hospice in Wales, of which she is a patron.
Princess Diana previously held the position while the hospice was in its fundraising stage.
Kate played with eight kids during the visit and spoke to four parents who lost children, as well as painting a hand print on the wall.
The engagement marked her first public appearance in Wales since revealing her cancer diagnosis.
A few days before, Kate hugged Holocaust survivors at a reception for around 50 survivors of the Nazi campaign and survivors of subsequent genocides.
This included an emotional reunion with Yvonne Bernstein and Stephen Frank, two Holocaust survivors she photographed in 2020.
The event marked 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
