Princess Kate sports minor injury as she visits men's prison for cause close to her heart

The Princess of Wales arrives at men's prison HMP High Down in Surrey, for a cause close to her heart.

Kate, who has spent over a decade working with addiction charities, is sporting a noticeable injury on her hand, admitting she's hurt herself on the trampoline at home. A spokesperson for Kensington Palace says it was a "small injury, nothing serious".

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She is visiting the prison on Tuesday 12 September in her role as patron of The Forward Trust, a charity that supports those in the criminal justice system to manage and recover from their addictions.

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HMP High Down is home to around 1,100 prisoners and the royal visit comes ahead of Addiction Awareness Week which will take place from 28 October to 4 November. 

This year's theme is 'Everybody Knows Somebody', to highlight the vast array of people across society who are affected by addiction.

A close-up of Kate's hand injury caused from her trampoline at home.

"My own fault," she says during the visit. "I was jumping around on the trampoline." Gesturing to the strapping, she adds: "I did put it on just to keep it safe."

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Prince William's wife previously revealed that she loves jumping on her trampoline with her kids, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. Earlier this year during an engagement with England's wheelchair rugby league team, Kate revealed that she uses the trampoline to stay fit, giving one of the players an insight into her exercise regime. 

When asked if she went to the gym, the 41-year-old said: "It's running around after the children - I do it all, whenever I can squeeze in exercise I do, even jumping on the trampoline with my children before school."

The Princess is her usual elegant self in a navy tailored Alexander McQueen suit, which she's paired with gold jewellery from one of her favourite brands, Daniella Draper.

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The royal mum begins her engagement by shadowing what a family would do during a normal visit to the prison, starting with the security procedures visitors are required to go through. 

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Kate is learning about how HMP High Down aims to make the experience a more positive one for families, in particular for children.

The Princess is checked by drug detection dog Penny, a black labrador, as she begins a tour of addiction services in the prison. She's told to sit with her hands on her knees while she's checked for drugs.

"Amazing. It's incredible, it's very calm and controlled. It's not intimidating," Kate says, as she's also shown Penny's reaction when something is found. Instead of barking, Penny is trained to alert her handler by sitting very still if she detects drugs.

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Kate is invited to speak to a group of prisoners whose journey into HMP High Down started because of an addiction. 

She learns about the programmes provided by the prison and The Forward Trust charity to help the men with their addictions. 

These include The Bridge, an intensive abstinence-based programme; Stepping Stones, a low to medium intensity intervention for those whose alcohol or drug consumption is at harmful or dependent levels; and Family Ties, a course of workshops focused on restoring healthy communication and trust between loved ones.

Kate also makes a stop at The Clink, the prison's on-site restaurant that is open to the public and is run by prisoners in partnership with The Clink Charity. 

Prisoners study for National Vocational Qualifications in cooking, food service, and cleaning while they work. They also receive mentoring upon release, including support with employment and accommodation.

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Kate compliments staff on their food, saying, "Well done, it smells delicious," before chatting to former prisoners, some of whom worked with and volunteered for The Forward Trust during their time in prison. She learns about how the charity helped the men manage their addictions and how they are living proof that recovery is possible. 

She is introduced to Richard Stephenson, who was a client of The Forward Trust more than 20 years ago and recovered from his own addiction. 'Steff', as he is known, is there with his family.

"It's really important people from different genres take interest and ask questions," Steff says after meeting Kate. "It's about believing people can change… I'm a professional now. It's really important to come from that and meet someone who may be a future queen."

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Mark Ash, an ex-inmate of HMP High Down who has recovered from his addiction and works with The Forward Trust to support others, also speaks with the Princess.

"When someone like Kate puts herself on that platform, people are going to listen because she's the Princess of Wales," he says. "It's honourable of her to want to step in."

Kate has long held an interest in addiction and the complexities of mental health, as well as The Early Years. Her work on these topics has shown that experiences in early childhood, before the age of five, are proven to have a significant impact on adult lives, including resilience and the ability to cope with adversity.

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The Princess became Patron of The Forward Trust in June 2021 when the charity merged with Action on Addiction, which was one of Kate's first patronages in 2012 following her marriage to Prince William.

The trust works in 25 prisons across the UK, helping people address issues including substance misuse, mental health, housing and employment for those leaving prison, and improving relationships with friends and family, including children.

Kate meets four inmates and talks to them about overcoming drug and alcohol issues and tells them she strongly believes addiction is not a choice. 

A palace source says she finds the exchange "incredibly inspirational." 

The royal later adds: "I asked one of the guys, 'Would you have liked help [with your addiction] earlier?' And he said, 'Yes, but I didn't know I needed it.'"

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Princess Kate is leaving the men's prison after an inspirational visit. 

High Down governor Emily Martin says of the Princess: "She's very natural and clearly genuinely interested which I think is really important… I think prison visits, it's an interesting place, because not an awful lot is known about prisons. 

"It's really nice to get some positive press and for her to see some of the good work [we're] trying to achieve."

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That's all for today but if you missed anything, then please scroll down for all the updates as they happened. 

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