The Princess of Wales braved the rain and took shelter under an umbrella as she visited a mother and baby unit at a prison in Cheshire.
Kate, 43, made a solo appearance at the Mother and Baby Unit at HMP Styal in her capacity as patron of Action for Children where she highlighted the importance of consistent mother and baby relationships in a child’s development.
The Princess donned a brown ensemble for the visit, opting for her checked Blazé Milano coat layered over a roll neck wool dress and paired with suede boots.
She wore her thick brunette locks in curly tresses hanging down her shoulders, and slightly tucked behind her ears, while showing off a pair of sparkling stud earrings.
Kate chuckled as she was led through the gates into the prison by governor Nicky Hargreaves.
As she walked through the prison grounds dozens of women inmates leant out of the windows of their notable worn around the edges accommodation blocks to catch a glimpse of the royal visitor.
There was a loud wolf-whistle and cat-calls, but also some shouts of: ‘We need more funding. Tell them the truth!’
The Princess smiled, waved and said hello to other inmates who were leaning through the windows of a portacabin.
The Princess of Wales took shelter under an umbrella this afternoon as she arrived at HMP Styal in Cheshire
Kate, 43, took shelter under an umbrella on a drizzly day as she arrived at the prison which she’s visiting as part of her early years crusade
The Princess of Wales is snapped smiling as she holds up a teddy up in front of a child at the event today
The first part of the visit, where the princess met with the prison’s four current prisoners who have children, as well as visited their personal accommodation and nursery, was held in private.
But afterwards she met with staff and two ex-inmates to talk about their experiences.
The women, Donna and Sam, spoke with confidence and conviction about what it had been like to be mothers of young babies in prison.
They made clear the treatment they had received had been exceptional and made them even more determined to ensure the lives of their children would be different.
Sam, who was at HMP Styal for 14 months, told the princess about the huge range of courses they had been on and how much of a difference it had made to their parenting: ‘It was a safe space. It was run by the charity [Action for Children] and not by the prison regime.
‘So to have that opportunity to step outside of the regime, if only for a few hours, was so important. You could just be a mum. Share ideas about how to be a better parent. I wish I could have done more.’
Kate asked: ‘Do you think if you had access to this kind of support it would have helped you before you reached crisis point on your journey as parents? Would you like to see this more in the community?’
Donna, who was at the prison for 11 months and arrived when she was 30 weeks pregnant, replied: ‘It’s difficult because the crime was unrelated to decisions I made in parenthood but yes I have worked in the community and I think to have things like this [parenting courses] is imperative.
The Princess of Wales is pictured waving as she visits an ‘Action For Children’ mother and baby unit
During her visit, made in her capacity as patron of Action for Children which runs Mother and Baby Units in prisons across the north of England, the Princess chatted to charity staff
Kate appeared serious as she took part in discussions about how to reduce the rate of reoffending among female criminals
‘Actually there are a lot of pressures and whether you are fantastic and in employment or whether you offend, everyone needs networks of support.
‘Attachment is a huge thing for children to have security, love, emotional health. To learn the skills you do in here is fantastic for any parent. ‘
Sam added: ‘We are both first time mums and put it this way, we didn’t start the best way. But where we are now is incredible. We got the most out of it we possibly could. We made silly decisions and ended up in this position, but you can’t turn back the clock. So we just stuck with it in here and got as much out of it as we could. There is so much we have done that I wouldn’t necessarily get access to if this hadn’t have happened. ‘
The princess interjected: ‘It shouldn’t have to take something like this to get access to something like this…’
‘Exactly,’ said Donna. ‘We had tiny talk sessions in the nursery. The children were taught to communicate, to use sign language. Things that would have been too expensive on the outside. We both worked and we wouldn’t have access to that at home.’
Kate said: ‘It gave you that really focused time to build that bond. ‘
Sam said: ‘Obviously we are taking all the positives here but yes we wouldn’t have had that time if not. The others classes, the nurture courses…amazing. My [toddler] son is already doing sign language, he really got out a lot of it. And the bonds he has made, I have made bonds with the other mums on the unit. We got to know each other really well. One would make tea of a night, while the other looked after the children. You just work it the best you can and try to get as much out of it. Which we did.’
The princess asked how they and the children transitioned from a ‘contained’ life going back to a normal home life.
The Princess met with staff, former residents of the prison and mothers who are currently receiving support
Kate looked animated as she discussed the importance of ensuring a child born in the prison system is able to establish a strong bond with its mother in support of future development
Donna said; ‘Having a child born in prison, the relationships you forge are so different. When you get back home with your family and it’s a different kind of support. When my daughter was weaning I suddenly looked for Wendy [a staff worker] and thought ‘what am I doing now?’ You have your home, your phone, your family and friends.
‘It’s a lot. You do miss it. But these guys are reaching out all of the time. They are at the end of the phone or an email asking if everything is ok or if we need support with the kids, dentists, doctors, everything. It eases the pressure.’
Sam said: ‘I only left six weeks ago and I am just getting rolling with everything again. Thinking about work, nurseries. I have said so many times that I just wish I could take this nursery [in the prison] and put it in my home town. It’s hands down the best nursery. My son just ran up to the nursery worker straight away and recognised her just now.’
Donna explained that she had found a job even before she left prison and the nursery manager had even helped her find a place for her daughter back at home.
‘What more do you think can be done to support women back in the community given the experience you have been through in prison?’ Kate asked.
Sam said: ‘It would be nice to have units like this to help you. It would still have the same function, probably better. You didn’t feel like you are in a prison until you look outside.
Donna added; ‘We recognise there is a prison sentence that needs to happen. But the support we have received here has made all the difference to the mothers we are. It’s so hard to do it alone, so to be in a community setting within here is amazing. My dream and vision would be for this to be moved into a community setting [outside].’
The princess said: ‘If you think about the experience of mothers coming into prison who don’t have these opportunities. Do you think there is enough understanding of your journeys and is there still a stigma?
‘Yes there is huge stigma and to be honest I would have thought the same. There is a huge stigma that needs challenging. Until it happened to me the thought of giving birth in prison would be mortifying,’ Donna said.
Mother-of-three Kate, 43, has made several visits to prisons in the past, tackling issues such as addiction – but this visit was a poignant reminder of her early years work
Back to her passion! Kate, who has long championed early years development, beamed as she chatted with charity staff
Action for Children is a charity which runs three Mother and Baby Units inside prisons in the north of England; supporting expectant and new mothers who are serving prison sentences or on remand.
The units employ practitioners who provide specialist support and care for the mothers, who are housed in a separate part of the prison.
The aim of the units is to establish a strong bond between mother and child right from birth and in the early stages of the child’s life, following evidence that a child’s development is largely influenced by their relationships with caregivers in the earliest stages of life.
There have been at least 11 suicides at HMP Styal in Cheshire since 2007 – more than any other women’s jail in England.
Current inmates include child killer Savannah Brockhill, jailed in 2021 for the brutal murder of toddler Star Hobson, and Farzana Ahmed, who murdered her 17-year-old daughter, Shafilea, who had refused an arranged marriage.
In 2020 a prisoner gave birth to a stillborn baby in the toilet of a cell, with The Prisons and Probations Ombudsman later finding there were ‘missed opportunities’ to identify her urgent clinical needs.
Kate’s appearance at HMP Styal is not the first trip she has made to a prison; after previously visiting HMP High Down in Surrey in 2023.
The Princess appeared animated as she chatted to staff at Action for Children who provide specialist care to new and expectant mothers serving prison sentences
The Princess met with prisoners and their families to discuss how the cycle of addiction can lead people into crime and how the cycle can be broken.
The visit took place as part of her role as patron of The Forward Trust.
A similar theme discussed today was how to break the cycle of reoffending for women in the UK. Currently, the reoffending rate for female criminals is 22.3 per cent.
The Princess also met with staff and former residents to hear about the support which has previously been provided; including nursery care, targeted interventions and parenting support.
Later in the visit, Kate visited the on-site nursery where she met with babies and children living on site; where they can learn and play.
She also met mothers in the prison who have been supported by the unit.
Action for Children employs specialist practitioners at each prison, who ensure babies are given the best possible care and are introduced to experiences outside the confines of the institutions, such as riding on the bus or going for walks.
They also organise overnight stays for other family members, so they can experience time with the children and strengthen their bonds too.
As the Princess continues her slow and measured return to work, she has been making poignant visits that tackle subjects close to her heart – with early years being a cornerstone focus.
Kate, who is a mother-of-three, founded The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood in June 2021 as she announced her drive to tackle societal issues at the root.
Her ethos centres around the fact that a child’s earliest experiences can have a strong bearing on how they fare later in life.
In January 2023 the Foundation began the Shaping Us campaign which raises awareness of how critical the early years are in a child’s future.
