The Duchess of Cambridge Current Events 5: February 2015-January 2019

[Dman]

Video:
The Duchess of Cambridge has been behind bars today meeting inmates in a women's prison. Kate visited HMP Send in Woking, Surrey to learn how it is helping some of its 282 inmates overcome drug and alcohol addiction to rebuild their lives-
Home - ITNSource News

 

[Daria_S]

What an amazing lady- I have never met her- yet I feel she understands me. I've never struggled with drugs- but I do have a mental illness- I'm guessing less severe than these ladies, but still it is a struggle- and I feel understood by a Duchess half a world away. What she's said - and the fact that she listens with her heart tells me she's the right voice for the cause.

Spot on! It takes a special person to be able to represent such causes, and Catherine has shown time, and time again that is more than capable of handling them with compassion, and dignity. She isn't afraid to open up, and listen to people's stories, and try to use what she heard to make things better. I would feel comfortable talking to her about my sister's story, as well as my own (no drugs for me, but definitely a struggle with mental illness/depression/anxiety). I feel she won't judge, but listen with her heart, as you pointed out.



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[roseroyal]

I think you're spot on; currently, my family is dealing with this issue in regards to my younger sister. She's had struggles with school, and even though she's very physically attractive, her so-called 'friends' found things about her that they thought were ugly (such her big eyes, which in all honesty are not ugly at all). She felt pressure, and turned to drugs to 'forget'. She has been to rehab several times, but after making huge strides, she still reverts to previous habits. My parents did send her to counseling when she was younger, but for some reason, it didn't take. I'm so glad to see Her Highness is choosing such serious causes to tackle, and represent. The more people know, the more they can help those who are at risk for addiction. Someone also mentioned that the mental health issues in children rise from a lot of high-stakes testing, and I couldn't agree more. However, as a teacher, I can tell you that the pressure is also on us to raise the ratings of the school by having kids score as high as possible. Thankfully, I work with children who are not participating in these tests, because of their severe intellectual disabilities, but there's still pressure to,push the children to the point of insanity. All the planning, data recording, progress reports, etc. are enough to make me I'll just by mere mentions, and I love my kids to death,,and want them to succeed. With all the stress on teachers, it would be great for schools to provide support services to the staff as well, because stressed, and worn-out teachers are no good to their students.



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I will be sending you an email later. Boy, can I relate to the stress of testing! Insanity is a good word- though I'm not insane of course. But my mental health issues got worse with all the testing- nobody cared. I get wanting special needs kids to succeed, but why push teachers to push them to the point of insanity like I was? That does nobody any good. I never looked at from my teachers point of view though. I just looked at from mine. I hated it. School was a scary place. My mental health issues rose. Every school morning was a meltdown.
One of your sentences the one with mere mentions in it- doesn't make sense.

" I love my kids to death." First off , I love how you call them your kids.
Secondly, I cried with joy for those kids- because I know it's true and I know you tell them, , and I cried with sadness for me- because none of my teachers loved me like that, and I wish I had had you as a teacher. But I'm glad we are friends!

 

[roseroyal]

Spot on! It takes a special person to be able to represent such causes, and Catherine has shown time, and time again that is more than capable of handling them with compassion, and dignity. She isn't afraid to open up, and listen to people's stories, and try to use what she heard to make things better. I would feel comfortable talking to her about my sister's story, as well as my own (no drugs for me, but definitely a struggle with mental illness/depression/anxiety). I feel she won't judge, but listen with her heart, as you pointed out.



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Once again, great minds think alike! Dignity is a good word- I feel I could tell Catherine my story and she would give me dignity.
The Palace had said after her visit to the AFC that she would do at least 1 more engagement this month dealing with children and mental health. Was this it? Reason I ask- no kids there! And I always like seeing Catherine out and about!

 

[Rudolph]

Princess Kate impressed former and current prisoners with her commitment to fighting addiction when she paid a secret visit to a jail on Friday.

One inmate, Isha, 33, who has been in and out of prison for the past decade and is due to be released in December next year, gave the royal mom two aprons made by inmates for 2-year-old Prince George and 4-month-old Princess Charlotte.

"George is going to need it for his painting and his coloring," Kate told her at Send Prison in Woking, some 30 miles southwest of London.

Isha also gave Kate an assortment of prison-made pastries from the "Bad Girls Bakery" and honey from the prison bees.

Read more: Princess Kate Accepts Gifts from Prison Inmates for Her Kids : People.com

 

[Dman]

Videos:
Kate Sees Hopeful Signs For Addicts In Jail-
Kate Sees Hopeful Signs For Addicts In Jail

Duchess of Cambridge visits women's prison-
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-34361446

 

[Osipi]

I have a strong feeling that if there are any issues or causes that threaten a healthy home and family with children, Kate is going to find a way to work it all into her schedule and perhaps get some of these organizations working together even. A woman that Kate may have visited in jail recently going through the recovery program just might be nosed in the direction of the Art Room or some of Kate's other causes so that not only is the woman being supported in battling addiction, her family will also not be forgotten.

Too many times have I seen comments and opinion on how posh and privileged William and Kate are with homes and vacations and such and I really wish that these people would realize that Will & Kate are both using their blessings in life to do what they can for those not as fortunate.

 

[Rudolph]

All royals are 'posh and privileged' by definition. Two homes and 2 vacations a year is very mild by BRF standards.

 

[carlota]

i am very impressed with kate. this is a very brave, bold activity she decided to give her support to. to me, it shows a lot of courage and confidence as a royal that she is embarking on issues that are so taboo - like drug addiction and incarceration. other princesses who have been in their roles for longer than kate never visited a prison. hats off to her for having the confidence to take on not so conventional activities and patronages like this one, instead of just visiting schools, cutting ribbons and showing up to fashion shows!

 

[Curryong]

Anne has visited prisons for some time though not with great publicity. In February she was at Bridgend prison in the UK on behalf of a programme to prevent young prisoners from reoffending.
Charles visited Leeds prison a few days ago as he has a charity, Mosaic, that does the same thing. Little publicity again.
I am glad Kate went to see the formerly addicted prisoners at the women's prison, I truly am, but don't let's pretend that this is cutting edge stuff when other members of the BRF and probably other members of other royal houses do the same sort of thing without huge amounts of press.

 

[cepe]

Anne has visited prisons for some time though not with great publicity. In February she was at Bridgend prison in the UK on behalf of a programme to prevent young prisoners from reoffending.
Charles visited Leeds prison a few days ago as he has a charity, Mosaic, that does the same thing. Little publicity again.
I am glad Kate went to see the formerly addicted prisoners at the women's prison, I truly am, but don't let's pretend that this is cutting edge stuff when other members of the BRF and probably other members of other royal houses do the same sort of thing without huge amounts of press.

The fact that royals visit prisons is true. Some are one offs and some, such as Princess Royals visits are directly connected to patronages. PR is patron of the Butler Trust which

"recognises, celebrates, develops and shares good practice by people working in prisons, probation, and community and youth justice, across the UK."

But this is about addiction and how it affects individual lives in such a way that it can lead to custodial sentences and from then on, a downward spiral.

No one should be saying this is unique, but she is increasing awareness of the issues that addiction raises and that is all to the good.

"Fans" can go over the top and make out that a member of the BRF is a "saint" and doing "unique" events but that isn't the fault of the royal.

They are just trying to help, which should be appreciated.

 

[TLLK]

I agree Cepe. Kate went there to highlight a program that is associated with her work in addiction and mental illness. It's a different type of environment for one of her engagements, but it still brings attention to the need for these types of programs. It's all about bringing attention to a cause IMHO.

 

[Daria_S]

I will be sending you an email later. Boy, can I relate to the stress of testing! Insanity is a good word- though I'm not insane of course. But my mental health issues got worse with all the testing- nobody cared. I get wanting special needs kids to succeed, but why push teachers to push them to the point of insanity like I was? That does nobody any good. I never looked at from my teachers point of view though. I just looked at from mine. I hated it. School was a scary place. My mental health issues rose. Every school morning was a meltdown.

One of your sentences the one with mere mentions in it- doesn't make sense.



" I love my kids to death." First off , I love how you call them your kids.

Secondly, I cried with joy for those kids- because I know it's true and I know you tell them, , and I cried with sadness for me- because none of my teachers loved me like that, and I wish I had had you as a teacher. But I'm glad we are friends!

Sorry about the typos. I'll fix them promptly. Sadly, the stress of testing was there for me as a student as well. Not pleasant. School is no longer a safe place for learning, but that's besides the point. Thank you for your kind words. I do what I can.

Once again, great minds think alike! Dignity is a good word- I feel I could tell Catherine my story and she would give me dignity.

The Palace had said after her visit to the AFC that she would do at least 1 more engagement this month dealing with children and mental health. Was this it? Reason I ask- no kids there! And I always like seeing Catherine out and about!

I don't think this visit was the other visit you're thinking of. I'm not sure when the other event is though, but like you, I'm always happy to see Catherine with children.

I have a strong feeling that if there are any issues or causes that threaten a healthy home and family with children, Kate is going to find a way to work it all into her schedule and perhaps get some of these organizations working together even. A woman that Kate may have visited in jail recently going through the recovery program just might be nosed in the direction of the Art Room or some of Kate's other causes so that not only is the woman being supported in battling addiction, her family will also not be forgotten.



Too many times have I seen comments and opinion on how posh and privileged William and Kate are with homes and vacations and such and I really wish that these people would realize that Will & Kate are both using their blessings in life to do what they can for those not as fortunate.

This is an excellent post. Yes, this couple knows how to use their privilege to make a difference, and it shows. I wholeheartedly believe that if a family was in need of some intense assistance, and Catherine could be of service, she would jump at the opportunity to give that individualized attention. She can't do that for everyone, but if circumstances were special enough, she would go the extra mile. So would William. To me, that sets them apart; the desire to really be involved with those who who need them most.



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[camelot23ca]

I feel that the tide may be starting to turn in North America, (and maybe in the UK too?) in terms of the public and official attitude towards addiction. I see addicts every day through my work, and don't romanticize them or excuse the horrible things they can sometimes do under the influence of drugs or alcohol, but I don't think the punitive "they're weak and evil so let's throw them in jail and forget about them" approach is good for anyone. Intensive, sustained efforts to support recovering addicts, along with harm reduction strategies for those currently using, are the only things that have a chance at addressing the actual problem. And I'm betting in the medium to long term they're significantly cheaper than lengthy and unproductive prison sentences for people whose only crime is the drug use itself.

The program Kate visited today seems wonderful and I hope for the best for all the women involved!

 

[Isabella]

The fact that royals visit prisons is true. Some are one offs and some, such as Princess Royals visits are directly connected to patronages. PR is patron of the Butler Trust which

"recognises, celebrates, develops and shares good practice by people working in prisons, probation, and community and youth justice, across the UK."

But this is about addiction and how it affects individual lives in such a way that it can lead to custodial sentences and from then on, a downward spiral.

No one should be saying this is unique, but she is increasing awareness of the issues that addiction raises and that is all to the good.

"Fans" can go over the top and make out that a member of the BRF is a "saint" and doing "unique" events but that isn't the fault of the royal.

They are just trying to help, which should be appreciated.

I agree with all of this, and would also like to add that it's not Kate's fault that her visit attracts so much press attention. It would be lovely if all members of the royal family could get such a large amount of publicity for their causes, too, but it's just never been a level playing field in that way. Really, I'm actually quite happy to see that there's been coverage of a public engagement that actually brings some attention to the cause itself (so often the coverage only relates to what someone's wearing, or perhaps of glitzier events where the royals are mingling with celebrities).

And I also think it's nice to see Kate tackling an issue that's a bit "grittier." Many have complained that she doesn't take on more serious things, since we're so used to seeing her visiting kids in classrooms and doing art projects, and many people seem not to take those seriously, even if they're actually for an important cause. I'm glad that Kate has been able to bring attention to an important issue, but also, secondarily, that she's getting some recognition herself. It takes most royals a while to find their niche and start branching out from the more typical ribbon-cutting fare, and I think many are seeing this as a sign of Kate really growing into her role. All of these are good things, I think.

 

[Honeybees]

The Butler Trust is an amazing organization and Princess Anne does incredible work on their behalf. That the media do not report it is another issue. This is a good move by The Duchess of Cambridge.

 

[Tiaras]

I will be sending you an email later. Boy, can I relate to the stress of testing! Insanity is a good word- though I'm not insane of course. But my mental health issues got worse with all the testing- nobody cared. I get wanting special needs kids to succeed, but why push teachers to push them to the point of insanity like I was? That does nobody any good. I never looked at from my teachers point of view though. I just looked at from mine. I hated it. School was a scary place. My mental health issues rose. Every school morning was a meltdown.
One of your sentences the one with mere mentions in it- doesn't make sense.

" I love my kids to death." First off , I love how you call them your kids.
Secondly, I cried with joy for those kids- because I know it's true and I know you tell them, , and I cried with sadness for me- because none of my teachers loved me like that, and I wish I had had you as a teacher. But I'm glad we are friends!

I agree, mental illness aside for a moment school was tough. I was a pretty good student never failed etc but oh my god the pressure that was put in the final few years on us took it's toll. I remember some of it as a very dull period where all I did was take tests, write exams, study, eat and sleep ( very little sleeping btw). University was never that strenuous and I loved what I was studying.
Dont get me started on the teachers (my school was a very strict one, I dont have time to talk about that lol) none of them were that supportive or caring.
If anyone can sympathise with the stress of being in school it's me, kids need to be given more time to pick up matter and the syllabus is just getting vast with more assessments to tick off.
My point being it's bad enough as a normal kid without having addicted parents or illness, I cant comprehend how bad it must be to deal with these things with those issues.

 

[Tiggersk8]

I agree, mental illness aside for a moment school was tough. I was a pretty good student never failed etc but oh my god the pressure that was put in the final few years on us took it's toll. I remember some of it as a very dull period where all I did was take tests, write exams, study, eat and sleep ( very little sleeping btw). University was never that strenuous and I loved what I was studying.
Dont get me started on the teachers (my school was a very strict one, I dont have time to talk about that lol) none of them were that supportive or caring.
If anyone can sympathise with the stress of being in school it's me, kids need to be given more time to pick up matter and the syllabus is just getting vast with more assessments to tick off.
My point being it's bad enough as a normal kid without having addicted parents or illness, I cant comprehend how bad it must be to deal with these things with those issues.

I think that's why Home Schooled Kids are outscoring the School Kids these days. Yes, there is a set Schedule of what the Kid needs to learn, but what those Kids learn can be tailored to how they learn and given the time needed for it to sink in properly. School Kids OTOH....They have to fit into what the School wants/demands and that's how the kids that just can not learn that way, get lost. Once that happens, then it's not a long path towards Depression or Loss of Confidence, which can in turn lead not only to Drugs, but also to Eating Disorders and other Destructive Issues as well.

It's all connected IMO. At least we are finally talking about it in the open. That is also IMO the most important first step needed to bring about change.

That one person talking to Kate about being five, finding the margarine container filled w/the syringes and knowing what they were and why they were there...At five knowing that? Just...


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[Tiaras]

I like how Kate focuses on kids mental health because as a child as we can all remember no one really cared, our mental health wasnt really supposed to be focused on, because kids cannot be 'depressed' or 'mentally ill'. I remember once visiting my counselor at school [just to talk about careers] and her advice was 'all you have to do is eat sleep and study, you dont have to worry about what your parents worry about at this age, so whats the problem?!! '. I will never forget that, thankfully I continued on, on my own, but it put me off any therapists/psychologists forever, lol. I still wouldn't visit one because I am of the opinion they arent really helpful.

The people who have serious conditions which affect their daily lives, depression, suicidal tendencies, anxiety, addiction in this case, etc should seek help and the help should be there when they seek it out.

That one person talking to Kate about being five, finding the margarine container filled w/the syringes and knowing what they were and why they were there...At five knowing that? Just...

OMG that's just sad, was this in the DM article, I missed it. This is what we should focus on from her visit.

 

[TLLK]

Excellent points tiaras. I believe that the public would be shocked at how "knowledgeable" some young children are when it comes to drug use if they're around it from a very early age.

 

[Daria_S]

I like how Kate focuses on kids mental health because as a child as we can all remember no one really cared, our mental health wasnt really supposed to be focused on, because kids cannot be 'depressed' or 'mentally ill'. I remember once visiting my counselor at school [just to talk about careers] and her advice was 'all you have to do is eat sleep and study, you dont have to worry about what your parents worry about at this age, so whats the problem?!! '. I will never forget that, thankfully I continued on, on my own, but it put me off any therapists/psychologists forever, lol. I still wouldn't visit one because I am of the opinion they arent really helpful.

The people who have serious conditions which affect their daily lives, depression, suicidal tendencies, anxiety, addiction in this case, etc should seek help and the help should be there when they seek it out.


OMG that's just sad, was this in the DM article, I missed it. This is what we should focus on from her visit.

Excellent points. As a child, I remember being told similar things, not just by therapists, but by my family as well. To this day, my grandmother thinks that if you try hard enough, you can pull yourself out of depression. If only it were that easy! As if I'm being sad, and anxious on purpose . Catherine is doing great service to the children who are dealing with difficult situations, because more often than not, the adults that are supposed to be supportive are not aware of just how heavily children are impacted by drug use, parental arguments, financial hardships, etc.



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[soapstar]

A new tweet from KP:

‏@KensingtonRoyal: We look forward to rest of The Duchess's Autumn programme, focusing on early intervention, mental health, and addiction.

 

[XeniaCasaraghi]

Anne has visited prisons for some time though not with great publicity. In February she was at Bridgend prison in the UK on behalf of a programme to prevent young prisoners from reoffending.
Charles visited Leeds prison a few days ago as he has a charity, Mosaic, that does the same thing. Little publicity again.
I am glad Kate went to see the formerly addicted prisoners at the women's prison, I truly am, but don't let's pretend that this is cutting edge stuff when other members of the BRF and probably other members of other royal houses do the same sort of thing without huge amounts of press.

I am very glad to hear about other royals taking an interest in prisoners. Just recently I saw that President Obama went to visit prisoners as well. I aplaid all those who have a voice no mattet how small for putting focus on the pruson systems.
I am more sympathetic to criminals than I am to addicts; someone once said we are all one mistake away from going to prison.

 

[Isabella]

I am very glad to hear about other royals taking an interest in prisoners. Just recently I saw that President Obama went to visit prisoners as well. I aplaid all those who have a voice no mattet how small for putting focus on the pruson systems.
I am more sympathetic to criminals than I am to addicts; someone once said we are all one mistake away from going to prison.

Yeah, I saw the coverage of Obama's prison visit a few days ago, and now Kate - not that they're the first high-profile people to visit prisoners by any means, but coincidental that it's something that's received an additional amount of coverage in the past week or so. Am certainly glad to see that attention is being paid to the the difficulties prisoners face.

I would also add that a lot of criminals are addicts. And, personally, I think the that saying "we're all one mistake away from . . ." can apply to becoming an addict just as much as it can apply to going to prison. I think education on both issues is important.

 

[ladongas]

And in many cases, addicts are hurting no one but themselves and those who love them. Criminals- by the time they're caught and convicted- may have hurt many,many, people. And of course, some addicts do commit crimes to feed their addiction.

I'm trying to figure out which criminals are more worthy of pity than are addicts.

Some towns are moving toward taking addicts to treatment rather than to jail.

 

[Osipi]

And in many cases, addicts are hurting no one but themselves and those who love them. Criminals- by the time they're caught and convicted- may have hurt many,many, people. And of course, some addicts do commit crimes to feed their addiction.

I'm trying to figure out which criminals are more worthy of pity than are addicts.

Some towns are moving toward taking addicts to treatment rather than to jail.

No matter what the reason be it addiction, committing a crime that requires incarceration or even the 1st DUI with a sentence of going to rehab, the most important factor here I think is to remember that no matter what, these people are still very much human beings and as long as there is life, there is hope. Supporting and loving someone until they can learn to love themselves works wonders.

 

[ladongas]

Amen...


And bless those poor souls and those who love them and try to help them.

 

[Tiggersk8]

I like how Kate focuses on kids mental health because as a child as we can all remember no one really cared, our mental health wasnt really supposed to be focused on, because kids cannot be 'depressed' or 'mentally ill'. I remember once visiting my counselor at school [just to talk about careers] and her advice was 'all you have to do is eat sleep and study, you dont have to worry about what your parents worry about at this age, so whats the problem?!! '. I will never forget that, thankfully I continued on, on my own, but it put me off any therapists/psychologists forever, lol. I still wouldn't visit one because I am of the opinion they arent really helpful.

The people who have serious conditions which affect their daily lives, depression, suicidal tendencies, anxiety, addiction in this case, etc should seek help and the help should be there when they seek it out.


OMG that's just sad, was this in the DM article, I missed it. This is what we should focus on from her visit.

The Telegraph I think. I can't access the DM on the iPad anymore for some reason.


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[Rudolph]

Roya Nikkhah ‏@RoyaNikkhah
The Duchess of Cambridge will see @ChanceUK early intervention child mentoring programme at an Islington Town Hall event on October 27

Chance UK @ChanceUK
Such an exciting day for us all here at CUK #DuchessofCambridge has announced a visit 27/10 @IslingtonBC
News & media - Chance UK

 

[Daria_S]

Roya Nikkhah ‏@RoyaNikkhah

The Duchess of Cambridge will see @ChanceUK early intervention child mentoring programme at an Islington Town Hall event on October 27



Chance UK @ChanceUK

Such an exciting day for us all here at CUK #DuchessofCambridge has announced a visit 27/10 @IslingtonBC

News & media - Chance UK

Saw this in my fb page, and can't wait to see the pictures, and videos. Catherine is amazing when it comes to interacting with children.



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