Sorry, I didn’t see these photos until just now. The Princess of Wales made a “surprise appearance” today in Wilmslow, Cheshire. She visited a mother-and-baby unit at a prison! She visited a prison last year too. I’m not judging the very selective photos released – it’s likely only one palace-approved photographer was allowed inside the prison, although it doesn’t look like many photographers were allowed outside of the prison either (probably because this was a surprise visit).
Obviously, this is all part of Kate’s focus on the fakakta Early Years and Kate dutifully sat in the prison however briefly and listened to people explain something about mothers in prison. Per People Mag, Kate was “highlighting the critical need to maintain strong and loving relationships for a child even in the most difficult and challenging situations.” She was there through her patronage, Action for Children. I think it’s also kind of obvious that this was planned specifically for this week as an attempt to pull focus, but whatever, it is what it is.
Interestingly enough, Kate appears to be copykeening herself? This is the exact outfit she wore to her visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital last month, right? Same Blaze Milano coat, same maroon turtleneck, probably the same skirt too, although I can’t tell because Kate didn’t stay long enough to remove her coat. Anyway, it’s certainly interesting! I wonder why she and William aren’t well enough to go to the BAFTAs on Sunday, especially if they’re well enough to do events this week.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
-
- The Princess of Wales, Patron of Action for Children, during a visit to a mother and baby unit inside HMP Styal in Wilmslow, Cheshire, 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. Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: Wilmslow, United Kingdom When: 11 Feb 2025 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
-
- The Princess of Wales, Patron of Action for Children, during a visit to a mother and baby unit inside HMP Styal in Wilmslow, Cheshire, 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. Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: Wilmslow, United Kingdom When: 11 Feb 2025 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
-
- The Princess of Wales, Patron of Action for Children, during a visit to a mother and baby unit inside HMP Styal in Wilmslow, Cheshire, 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. Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: Wilmslow, United Kingdom When: 11 Feb 2025 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
-
- The Princess of Wales, Patron of Action for Children, during a visit to a mother and baby unit inside HMP Styal in Wilmslow, Cheshire, 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. Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: Wilmslow, United Kingdom When: 11 Feb 2025 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
-
- The Princess of Wales, Patron of Action for Children, during a visit to a mother and baby unit inside HMP Styal in Wilmslow, Cheshire, 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. Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: Wilmslow, United Kingdom When: 11 Feb 2025 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
-
- The Princess of Wales, Patron of Action for Children, during a visit to a mother and baby unit inside HMP Styal in Wilmslow, Cheshire, 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. Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: Wilmslow, United Kingdom When: 11 Feb 2025 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
Oh, Kate, so relatable. 🙄 Nothing but work, work, work.
It’s wild to me how often she doesn’t stay long enough to remove her coat. (And I know someone once claimed it was some sort of “protocol” that a royal not be seen removing their coat/jacket, but we’ve seen plenty of photos to disprove that. Kate just doesn’t care.)
(And yes, she could definitely be the type of person who “runs cold” and be more comfortable leaving her coat on, but I feel like it’s rude in so many of the situations in which she repeatedly does it.)
Maybe she is trying to copy Queen Elizabeth? It seems like she always had a coat on. On a perception level, it definitely looks like she is ready to leave at a moments notice.
What does she say to them ~ I mean … a lecture? Support in difficult circumstances? What of substance would she have to offer?
As for her clothes… maybe she really is cut off from any clothes allowance.
What does she say to them?
Probably underlines how important it is to get out and about even when in prison, and how she can sympathize as she too is caged in her many, many palaces. Also how slimming stripes are 🧑⚖️👮🏽♀️⛓️⚖️🚨🚓
Get lots of sunshine & drink plenty of water! 🙂
@Beaniebean: thank you!
Henceforth, it shall be sunshine, water, Airrly Yarrs.
The same way it was noun, verb, 9/11 for that criminal whose black hair dye didn’t seem to be sweat-proof.
I think this is the sort of visit expected of her. It’s to “learn” and “highlight” is it not? It’s a big world, so only in the world of British tabloids is it impossible for more than one royal event to happen at the same time without making it a “competition” for coverage. They can’t walk and chew gum at the same time. They can’t deal with “these are the things happening at A, B, and C.
I have only one question for these people. When will KHate ever do something and they don’t announce it? Notice that they announce everything even when it’s supposed to be a “secret”. I guess this is only expected of Meghan? These people are such hypocrites!! Moving on, KHate doesn’t interest nor inspire me one bit.
Oh goody the crazy hands are back (just look at the woman next to her face) and her over animated face.
I don’t understand the “must compete with the Sussexes.” At MOST they might get an extra column inch or two about them in the UK. The Sussexes are international. No media outlet in America will cover this visit and the UK swarms on Meghan if she so much as grabs a latte with a friend. They’ll never win. It’s adorable they think they can compete though.
Huh. I really did think she was already out of town. It sounds like the patronage does really important work. Hope this appearance benefits the patronage. Is wearing the same clothes supposed to get us to focus on the substance? Even though KP has now claimed that they never said that they wouldn’t talk about fashion. Ay-yie-yie🙄.
If I was going to be a conspiracy theorist I’d say she filmed this on the same day as the hospital visit and changed the shoes and then got Becky English to lie for her. And she’s currently in mustique. But that is prob going too far😂
@Jais I thought that it was done the same days as the hospital too. I don’t put anything past her to do this.
I wouldn’t put it past KP or BE to lie. Remember that BE claimed to have seen William at the hospital when she went in for a dr. appointment. That said, that would also involve the patronage which would make it a really elaborate and messy lie. But didn’t KP say not to focus on her clothes right after the Marsden visit. So it could be bc they knew they were going to pass off that same outfit for another day’s event and they were preemptively saying nothing to see here with her clothes. But it would be such an elaborate plot that it seems too much. I think I’m just primed to think they’re lying about everything. It’s making me feel fairly silly. The only other reason I can see for her wearing the exact same outfit minus the shoes is bc of the substance over style thing which now they’re trying to walk back? This is really bad messy.
I don’t think you’re silly at all. These people are known liars and will do whatever it takes to try and protect them from the lies that were told. It is weird that they said no more talking about outfits and here she is in mostly the same outfit from the hospital visit. Of course they are now trying to walk back the never talk about the outfits. Nobody is ever on the same page. They wouldn’t have to come out with so many stories if they just told the truth.
Thx, Susan collins. The outfit is different. The coat is is the same. And yet my thoughts just went wild for a minute there.
@Jais, that would be exactly on brand for Kate! (And Becky English)
The school break is next week so she is probably leaving on Friday hence the bafta event being missed.
These are the bread and butter visits that QE 2 would approve of.
@Libra I suspect both have been told to do a lot more of the bread and butter visits around the UK (Wilmslow is Oop North so definitely not within 20 minutes of homework.) Given the travel involved and if she only stayed for an hour then I hope she fitted in other visits nearby? The powers that be probably told them both to ” earn” their fun events with serious visits like this one?
More jazz hands and mugging. She still is not an expert on Early Years. I guess Kate had to be persuaded to go out and work. Where is William now?
Tessa:
Letting of steam?
She lives in luxury, I don’t think she’s relatable to the women she visits.
@Tessa – I wonder what the women incarcerated at HMP Styal really thought of her? It’s a pretty grim place. I grew up near there. A recent BBC TV drama ‘Time’ was based on Styal women’s prison and showed the reality of the mother and baby unit. The writers had interviewed some of the women there.
Imagine if Kate was a person with depth. She could actually get an expert and get the help the women and their babies needed.
Side note: Having babies in prison is heartbreaking.
She needs to just make scheduled visits. Calling them “surprise” visits is somewhat irritating.
It’s just a surprise to the media. Clearly it wasn’t a surprise to the prison officials or the photographer.
This has been Kate’s MO for years. Her engagements were always kept quiet and not announced in advance, likely because she often cancelled them.
She’s probably cancelled SO MANY over the years that we never even heard about
This woman is so dull and bland
I was expecting to see Kate today but when I didn’t see any pictures I thought maybe I was wrong. KP couldn’t let this week pass without Kate making an appearance. I think BP is in on the competition this year. Charles had an away with the PM yesterday and he and Camilla have a day of engagements on Thursday.
She is on a phased return to work. Before 2024 it was a two day week attending just 3 events per day. Princess Anne usually fits in 8 events per day and certainly works more than twice a week. Kate is only available for 7 months a year as she takes 5 months school holiday leave. She has in the past enjoyed dabbling in royal duties with such a light schedule. Maybe after the half term break she will graduate into a three day week so that it could be Monday to Friday doing 8 events daily by Easter?!
Wow, so Kate visited the mother and baby unit at Styal prison? Wow, just wow. /s
She probably figured she’d rewear the outfit before sending it off to be cleaned of hospital and prison germs.
I cannot imagine anything worse than being imprisoned with a baby. The room where Kate is pictured looks bright at least.
Did she arrive empty handed or did she bring anything to brighten these women ‘s lives?
Gotta throw some meat to the rota for appeasement as they’re heading off on holiday during the kids half term break rather than attending the BAFTA’S 🤷♀️
For those who want to read about this prison visit in depth, here is an article from the BBC which is both factual and impartial.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g36gy82yyo
I don’t think it was today because it didn’t rain. It’s unusually cold here, near freezing. It was overcast and the area where the prison here might have had a few flurries, but no rain. Temperature today there was 35/38° in your Fahrenheit degrees.
It was raining on the 14 January when she visited Marsden Hospital.
This lot is so dishonest: Could she have gone then, but kept the visit secret to have it published at a convenient time?
There is likely a helicopter schedule that could confirm when this took place.
Thank you! I was wondering if it rained in London today…so she’s probably somewhere else and she just creates the illusion of working yet another day when she’s somewhere else…
They’re just trying to appear more “serious” by choosing to do certain appearances and pretend that others like cultural ones are less important and less serious.
Working during a school break is unusual… I wonder if the kids and dad are still home too. Strange if they are that they canceled the BAFTA appearance.