Princess Kate goes behind bars to meet mothers who give birth in prison as part of her early years crusade
11 February 2025, 16:43 | Updated: 11 February 2025, 16:49
The Princess of Wales has visited a prison's mother and baby unit run by a charity she supports as royal patron.
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Kate travelled to HMP Styal in Cheshire to meet inmates from the women's prison using the services provided by the unit run by Action for Children.
The Princess spent almost 90 minutes at HMP Styal in Cheshire, where a unit for prisoners with babies aged under 18 months is run by Action for Children. The visit was arranged to show how mothers and babies can be supported within the justice system.
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New and expectant mothers live in a separate area of the prison and are taught how to care for their babies and develop strong maternal bonds by specialist staff.
The Princess met employees and former inmates of HMP Styal, before visiting the on-site nursery and hearing from current prisoners about the support they and their babies were receiving from the charity.
The event was Kate's fifth public engagement in just over two weeks as she continues her gradual return to official duties since completing her cancer treatment.
Kate has made the promotion of the early years development of children one of the key elements of her public work.
The Princess is determined to use her platform to raise awareness of the importance of the early years. She has highlighted evidence that the psychological attachment between a baby and its primary caregiver in the first few months of life can influence later development.
The work undertaken by the Princess's Centre for Early Childhood is rooted in research that found the experiences of young children aged five and under can lead to social challenges, including addiction, family breakdown, poor mental health, suicide and homelessness.
