Princess Kate has been praised for helping people feel comfortable during a visit to a woman’s prison.
The Princess of Wales, 43, continued her gradual return to royal duty this week as she made a solo visit to HMP Styal near Wilmslow, which is home to adult female and young offenders over the ages of 18.
Kate, who has carried out a number of engagements following the end of her cancer treatment in September, visited the prison specifically to tour a Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) as part of her work looking at the importance of the early years in a child’s life.
As Patron of Action for Children, the princess wanted to learn about how children can thrive and develop important skills even when living in environments such as prisons with their mothers, who are serving jail sentences.
After the visit, Amanda Taylor, Action for Children’s Operational Director of Children’s Services, spoke to People about Kate’s visit and said the princess was “very skilled” at making even the most nervous people comfortable.
She told People: “She just naturally helped the women to feel relaxed.
“One of the women found it hard to talk and she spent some time with her at the end, talking to her one to one.
“She is very skilled at making people feel comfortable. These are very vulnerable women in a difficult situation.”
The prison Kate visited has around 400 female prisoners, with a separate area of the building being used to house pregnant women and mothers serving jail time.
The prison staff work with early years experts to support the babies living at the prison, which includes exposing them to regular experiences such as going on walks, shopping and travelling on a bus.
The aim of the unit is to help the mother and child bond early on, with the hope that this will also stop the women from re-offending when they are released from prison.
