As the country prepares to remember its war dead on Remembrance Sunday this week, Kate gave her poppy to a little boy she met as she was leaving a children's centre in west London.
The Princess of Wales appeared impressed during her visit to a children’s centre in west London which takes a “holistic” approach to care, providing perinatal mental health support alongside services like breastfeeding classes or mother and toddler groups.
Her visit to the Colham Manor Children’s Centre in Hillingdon to meet staff and clients was made in her role as patron of the Maternal Mental Health Alliance – a charity and network of more than 100 organisations helping women affected by issues like depression during or after their pregnancies.
During the visit, the princess chatted to three-year-old Akeem who took an interest in her poppy.
In their interaction caught on camera, the child can be seen asking the princess what her name is, to which she replies “My name is Catherine, very nice to meet you."
As Akeem reaches out and points at her poppy, Kate asks: “Have you got a poppy? It's very famous. Would you like mine? You can have my poppy. Let's see if I can get it out.
“Do you know what this is for? It's remembering all the soldiers who died in the war. There you go, that's for you. Will you look after it?"
She then proceeds to turn to the rest of the crowd and speaks with the boy's mother who is standing close by.
The Princess of Wales speaks with a young child as she leaves after a visit to Colham Manor Children's Centre in Hillingdon in West London.
Daniel Leal
The Princess of Wales speaks with a young child as she leaves after a visit to Colham Manor Children's Centre in Hillingdon in West London.
Daniel Leal
During her tour of the centre Kate joined a group of mothers with their children, affectionately touching the leg of a 10-month-old boy, and asked the group “Do you think there’s a stigma attached to reaching out?”
Mother-of-five Shanitta Campbell, 34, from Hounslow, who was holding her boisterous five-month-old son, replied: “It’s hard to reach out, but once you do you can get the support you need.”
During a roundtable discussion with health workers, midwives and other professionals working at the centre, the princess said: “It is amazing what you’ve achieved… How easy is it for other communities to replicate what’s going on here? Is it doable?”
The Princess of Wales smiles during a visit to Colham Manor Children's Centre in Hillingdon in West London. Picture date: Wednesday November 9, 2022.
Daniel Leal
Dr Chrissy Jayarajah, a consultant perinatal psychiatrist with Hillingdon Perinatal Services, replied with a laugh: “Absolutely.”
Six centres, funded by the London Borough of Hillingdon, integrate mental health care alongside the usual services and collaborate with the NHS and voluntary organisations.
They have proved popular with mothers, many of whom are not referred by their GPs but learn about the service through friends or in their communities.
Kate said of her meeting with the mothers: “I was chatting to mums, lots of different life experiences, different experiences of engaging with their community here, but also the community services in general, and I think a real appreciation, I suppose, of what’s happening here.”
