The Princess of Wales paid a visit to High Down Prison on Tuesday. The royal visited the prison over a month before Addiction Awareness Week to learn how The Forward Trust, which she is patron of, is helping individuals manage and recover from their addictions.
During the outing, the royal mom of three shadowed what a family experiences when they visit the prison, starting with the required security procedures. Catherine heard about the impact it has on families and how HMP High Down is trying to make the experience more positive for children.
The Princess also sat down with serving prisoners who are working with The Forward Trust, and visited The Clink—an on-site restaurant that trains prisoners in hospitality—where she met former prisoners and Forward Trust alumni.
HMP High Down is home to around 1,100 prisoners. According to Kensington Palace, The Forward Trust “delivers a range of services at HMP High Down, tailored to meet the needs of the men who reside there,” including “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.”
Catherine became patron of The Forward Trust in 2021 when the charity merged with Action on Addiction, which was one of the royal’s first patronages.
The Princess looked business chic wearing an Alexander McQueen suit and matching pumps for her visit to HMP High Down on Sept. 12. The Princess was also spotted sporting a bandage on her right hand. “My own fault,” she said during the visit, according to HELLO! . “I was jumping around on the trampoline.” The Princess noted that she put the bandage on “just to keep it safe.”
Back in January, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis’ mother revealed that jumping on the trampoline is an exercise she does before her kids go to school. “It’s running around after the children,” Catherine replied when asked if she goes to the gym (via HELLO! ). “I do it all, whenever I can squeeze in exercise I do, even jumping on the trampoline with my children before school.”