Prisoner Cell Block HRH
Kate’s visit to women’s prison
THE Duchess of Cambridge stepped behind bars yesterday, making a secret visit to a women’s prison.
Kate was whisked into HMP Send, near Woking, Surrey, to meet women battling alcohol and drug addictions.
It was an unusually gritty official engagement for the 33-year-old royal, who had never been through the doors of a jail before.
Send’s notorious former inmates include the Duchess of York’s former dresser, Jane Andrews – who killed her boyfriend in a fit of jealousy – and Tracie Andrews, who tried to blame her fiance’s death on a stranger suffering from road rage.
It has an addiction unit run by the Rehabilitation of Addicted Prisoners Trust (RAPt), who organised the visit. The duchess looked visibly moved when talking to a former inmate, Kirsty, 36, who said it was ‘surreal’ to meet Kate in real life. She also met a current prisoner called Isha, 33, who said RAPt had changed her life.
The duchess was then handed t wo handmade aprons for Prince George and Princess Charlotte, which she said George would need ‘for his painting’. Amanda Cockram, from RAPt, said: ‘She was grateful that they shared their stories. She was touched by their courage. Sharing that stuff is not easy.’