Kate Middletonis shining her royal spotlight on a pioneering program dedicated to keeping women in the justice system with their children — and leaving them with a reassuring message.
“Hope Street offers a community alternative for women who would otherwise be imprisoned unnecessarily due to a lack of safe accommodation or concerns around their well-being,” Kensington Palace said in a statement. “The pilot aims to demonstrate how a compassionate and supportive approach towards women in the justice system can have a transformative impact and improve outcomes for society, providing a blueprint which can be scaled across the country."
Kate Middleton applauds Edwina Grosvenor, founder of the charity One Small Thing, on June 27.DANIEL LEAL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
DANIEL LEAL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Princess Kate, 41, took a tour of the brand-new facility. The royal mom learned more about the specific support residents will receive and spent time with staff and other partners who have pushed the pilot program to this point. The Princess of Wales heard about how Hope Street will uniquely prevent the trauma of mothers and children being separated in the justice system before meeting women with lived experience.
Daniel Leal - WPA Pool/Getty Images
The Princess of Wales also left a personal, handwritten message which was hung on the facility’s Tree of Hope.“I see you and I am with you. Good luck in all that lies ahead,” she wrote, signing the note as simply “Catherine.”
Kate Middleton’s handwritten note at Hope Street on June 27.Ben Mitchell/PA Images via Getty Images
Ben Mitchell/PA Images via Getty Images
The signature is a rare occurrence — although members of the royal family often write their names in visitor books during royal engagements, they can’t sign autographs. Kate recentlypolitely refrainedfrom signing her name while spending time with school children during asurprise visitto the Chelsea Flower Show.
“My name’s Catherine,” she told the children. “I’m not allowed to write my signature, it’s just one of those rules.”
Kate Middleton visits Hope Street on June 27.DANIEL LEAL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Princess Kate’s stop is her latest family-focused engagement as she continues raising awareness about the importance of the early childhood years and the lifelong impact this critical period has. To take this mission to the next level, the Princess of Wales launched the landmark “Shaping Us” campaign in January. The effort is an offshoot of The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, which she established in June 2021.
The Royal Foundationdefinesthe long-term Shaping Us initiative as “a major new awareness-raising campaign to increase public understanding of the crucial importance of the first five years of a child’s life.” The campaign hopes to transform “the issue from one of scientific interest to one of the most strategically important topics of our time,” a statement says.
Kate Middleton visits the new facilities of Hope Street on June 27.Daniel Leal - WPA Pool/Getty Images
In May, Kate made twoback-to-back engagementsin London to meet young people who have experienced the care system and the adults who step up to support them. The outings at the Foundling Museum and the charity Kinship illuminated the importance of loving relationships for children who have experienced adversity, trauma, or bereavement.
Catherine, Princess of Wales talks with Kinship Carers and children at Saint Pancras Community Association in May 2023.Eddie Mulholland - WPA Pool/Getty
Eddie Mulholland - WPA Pool/Getty
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Kate Middleton and Edwina Grosvenor.DANIEL LEAL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
source: people.com
