The Princess of Wales delighted in meeting babies during a visit to a community hospital in Hampshire, shortly after discussing her cancer recovery in a rare interview for Prince William’s guest-edited edition of Country Life.
Kate, 44, appeared at ease at Chase Community Hospital, where she wore a tweed suit reported to cost £1,430 and met health visitors using the recently introduced Alarm Distress Baby Scale (ADBB). The tool is designed to identify signs of withdrawal in babies aged from birth to 24 months.
The visit follows the future Queen’s trip to Denmark with the Centre for Early Childhood in February 2022, when she observed the ADBB method being used at the University of Copenhagen’s Infant Mental Health Project.
Impressed by the Danish approach, Kate later asked the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood to investigate how ADBB could be introduced across the UK.
At Chase Community Hospital, she saw how that ambition is taking shape. The Princess observed a baby health and development review before meeting families who had received additional support following an ADBB assessment.
She also spoke with healthcare professionals and NHS representatives exploring how the assessment could be incorporated into their own services.
Kate’s Hampshire appearance came after she described her hospital experience in a rare interview published in the Prince of Wales’s special issue of Country Life. She recalled being told that recovery would bring “good days and bad”.
The Princess, who established the Royal Foundation for Early Childhood in 2021, has made early development and infant wellbeing central themes of her public work.
The Princess of Wales enjoyed meeting babies, including Baby Ruby, during her Hampshire hospital visit
Kate, 44, wore a tweed suit while meeting health visitors at Chase Community Hospital, where the ADBB approach is being used to identify withdrawal in babies aged up to 24 months
Chase Community Hospital is one of three Hampshire NHS Trust health visiting teams taking part in the pilot’s second phase
For the engagement, Kate wore a Bella Freud tweed suit reported to be worth £1,830. The Saint James jacket costs £875, while the matching Slim Kim trousers in grey are priced at £555.
She teamed the suit with a cranberry cashmere polo-neck jumper by Kiltane and carried a favourite accessory, the £695 Smythson Day Cross-Body Bag in burgundy.
Gianvito Rossi 85′ pointed-toe pumps in Burgundy Suede and Green Amethyst Drop Earrings by Kiki McDonough completed the outfit.
A poppy pinned to her jacket marked Armistice Day.
The ADBB programme is part of the Centre’s broader effort to strengthen the early-years workforce while improving support for parents and carers as they help babies and young children develop.
During check-ups, healthcare and childcare professionals use the approach to observe babies’ eye contact, facial expressions and activity levels. These cues can help indicate social withdrawal or behaviour requiring further support.
This summer, the Centre announced a three-year, £250,000 investment to expand ADBB nationwide, following two successful pilot phases involving 10 NHS sites.
Chase Community Hospital is one of three health visiting teams within Hampshire NHS Trust involved in the second phase of the pilot.
The hospital now has a substantial team of specialist health visitors and staff trained in ADBB through its Growing Little Minds Infant Mental Health Service. They hope to extend the training to the trust’s remaining 13 health visiting teams.
Kate’s visit followed the publication on November 11 of a special commemorative edition of Country Life, guest edited by the Prince of Wales.
For the issue, the Princess wore a Ralph Lauren Schmitt Herringbone Tweed Jacket while speaking with acclaimed author Robert Macfarlane about the role nature played during her cancer recovery after her diagnosis in 2024.
Offering an unusually personal account, Kate said: “I was told in hospital that my recovery would not be linear. There will be good days and bad days, that it will take time. This is the same in Nature.”
Asked where she finds hope, Kate said the “lessons Nature teaches” remind her “we are not alone and that we’re interconnected with something bigger than ourselves”.
Kate watched a baby health and development review before meeting families who received support after an ADBB assessment
The engagement builds on the future Queen’s February 2022 visit to Denmark with the Centre for Early Childhood
Kate’s hospital visit came after the release of her candid interview in the November 11 edition of Country Life, guest edited by the Prince of Wales
The Princess met healthcare worker Debbie Barrett, pictured holding six-month-old Baby Enid
The future Queen, pictured with Ruby, founded the Royal Foundation for Early Childhood in 2021 and has made infant care a key part of her public work
Kate wore a cranberry Kiltane cashmere polo neck with her tweed suit and carried her £695 Smythson Day Cross-Body Bag
Calling nature a “quiet teacher” during difficult periods, the royal said: “Having a sense of connection, trusted people around you and places where you feel at peace can be incredibly important during difficult times.”
Kate also offered a glimpse into her parenting style with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, saying she tries to give them “freedom to explore, rather than constantly telling them what to see or what to think”.
For the accompanying portrait, the Princess wore a Savile Row Ribbed Crew Neck Sweater, a Brora Fashion Blouse and an Emilia Wickstead Skirt, accessorised with her sentimental Cartier Trinity hoop earrings.
The Hampshire engagement came only weeks after Kate launched a new Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood project examining how nature can support babies’ and young children’s social and emotional development.
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In a message to parents, Kate said that “spending quality time outdoors has never been more important”.
Speaking about her longstanding campaign to improve children’s lives, she encouraged families to put down their phones and spend time outside.
“Nature is such an extraordinary environment for us all and, in this tech-driven, digital age, spending quality time outdoors has never been more important,” the future Queen said in a video shared on the official Instagram account of the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Kensington Palace also published a new collection of countryside portraits of Kate taken by Josh Shinner.
Kate smiled during the visit before meeting NHS professionals considering the use of ADBB in their own services
The Princess entertained Baby Enid as staff explained how ADBB examines eye contact, facial expressions and activity levels
Kate wore a burgundy top and handbag with her tweed suit; the Saint James jacket costs £875 and the matching trousers £555
The Princess completed her look with Gianvito 85′ pointed-toe pumps in Burgundy Suede and Kiki McDonough Green Amethyst Drop Earrings
After seeing the work in Denmark, Kate asked the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood to explore introducing ADBB in the UK
The Princess met Chase Community Hospital staff involved in delivering the new project
The Princess later appeared in a favourite wax jacket over a patterned jumper and pie-frill blouse, with her hair styled in loose waves.
The project will bring together research, professional expertise and practical experience from Britain and around the world. Its aim is to understand how nature-rich environments can help children become confident, curious, creative and emotionally healthy, with academics, early-years practitioners, charities and environmental groups contributing.
It will also examine how existing developmental science can be applied more effectively and ambitiously in settings rooted in nature.
Kate explained the project’s importance in a video released on October 16.
“Nature is such an extraordinary environment for us all and, in this tech-driven, digital age, spending quality time outdoors has never been more important.
“This project is about exploring how nature, creativity and relationships can best support the healthy development of babies and young children.
“We believe that taking a whole-child approach is important, and nature becomes a wonderful place to explore how we can successfully nurture the social and emotional skills that underpin lifelong health and wellbeing.”
She added: “My hope is that through this practical, nature-based research, we can build supportive environments that help make nature more accessible, benefiting babies, young children and their families across the UK.”
The initiative follows polling commissioned by the Centre showing that 84 per cent of parents believe time spent in nature benefits their child’s wellbeing and development. However, only 33 per cent said their child spends time in nature every day.
Kate posed with hospital staff, who are working to identify babies who may need additional support
The Hampshire visit followed Kate’s launch of a project examining nature’s role in babies’ and young children’s social and emotional development
Staff welcomed the Princess on an engagement highlighting her long-running work on early childhood development
Specialist staff at Chase Community Hospital use ADBB through the Growing Little Minds Infant Mental Health Service and hope to train the trust’s remaining 13 health visiting teams
The ADBB programme supports the Centre’s work to strengthen the early-years workforce and help parents and carers support infant development
The Centre has committed £250,000 over three years to expand ADBB nationwide after successful pilots at 10 NHS sites
More than 60 per cent of parents said they wanted their children to spend more time in nature overall, while 56 per cent supported more nature-based experiences through childcare and education.
The Princess and her husband have previously voiced concern that digital technology is taking up too much of young people’s lives, leaving less room for play and face-to-face social interaction.
William has said that their three children do not yet have phones, although the couple acknowledged that their eldest, Prince George, 13, would receive one when he became a boarder at Eton.
Kate has consistently championed early childhood and social and emotional development, examining how relationships, surroundings and experiences influence children’s growth.
Her work has included a 2022 visit to a forest kindergarten in Denmark, where she saw how outdoor learning can aid development, as well as a more recent trip to Reggio Emilia in Italy.
The latest initiative expands on themes she has increasingly highlighted, including nature, creativity, connection and belonging as foundations for healthy children and thriving communities.
Her Mother Nature film series explored those ideas through personal reflections on nature’s power to restore, inspire and nurture, while helping people reconnect with themselves, each other and the wider world.
The work also follows her essay, Creating the Conditions for Love to Flourish Through Nature & Creativity, in which she considered how to create environments where people, particularly children, can thrive.
Drawing on her experiences in Italy, Kate examined how healthy development is shaped by relationships with people and places, and how nature offers children an inspiring setting in which to explore, connect and grow.