Breaking: Princess Kate steps out for incredibly poignant visit to female prison….See More

The Princess of Wales travelled to the North of England on Tuesday to visit a mother and baby unit at a female prison in Styal.

The Princess of Wales headed to Cheshire today to visit a female prison’s mother and baby unit (MBU) in the village of Styal.

Princess Kate, who is patron of Action for Children – a charity that protects and supports vulnerable children and young people – paid a visit to HMP Styal to promote the importance of strong, loving and consistent mother and baby relationships to a child’s development, even in the most challenging of environments.

HMP Styal is a closed-category prison and young offender institution for women aged 18 and over.

The future Queen, who donned a brown check maxi coat and carried an umbrella to shield herself from the rain, met with staff and former residents to hear about the support provided within the unit, which includes nursery provision, targeted interventions and parenting support for the on-site mothers.

Kate also toured the on-site nursery to see where babies and children living on-site can learn and play.

She also met a group of current female prisoners on the MBU and spoke to them about how the charity is supporting them and their babies.

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.

Today’s visit is particularly poignant for the princess, who has dedicated her royal career to campaigning about early childhood development- something which she has previously described as her “life’s work”.

Kate established The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood in 2021.

Its vision is of a healthier, happier, more nurturing world transformed by the collective approach to early childhood.

Action for Children currently runs three MBUs inside prisons in the North of England. Their aim is to establish and maintain a strong bond between mother and child.