Duchess Catherine made an emotional visit to Imperial College in London this week, where she met the people behind a UK baby charity helping to support bereaved parents.
The British royal spoke with parents who had been aided by the charity, as well as staff members from the Not For Profit, Tommy’s, which is working hard to reduce rates of miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth.
The visit came in line with Baby Loss Awareness Week, with the Duchess speaking to guests about the importance of support for families who have experienced it.
Listening to emotional stories from families, Kate was visibly moved.
One mother told her about her experience with a stillbirth.
“When she was born, she was absolutely perfect. Her birth was literally the best thing that ever happened to me. And also the worst thing that ever happened to me.
“When we went home our lives had been turned upside down. We had been devastated,” the woman told her, as per HELLO!.
Kate told her: “It’s so brave of you to be able to talk so openly. A lot of the research, a lot of the support for organisations, is being driven by parents who have been through this experience, and want to help others. It is so inspirational.”
As well as providing support to families, Tommy’s clinic in London is continuously conducting research to help woman become pregnant again after miscarrying.
One woman spoke to Kate of her experience with miscarrying, telling her she lost two babies after having a second miscarriage when doctors had initially refused her request to have a cervical stitch, which could have prevented it.
The woman said Kate was “quite thrown” by her story.
She continued: “You could almost see it in her face, ‘Are you OK?’ I’m fine. I sometimes think to myself, if I hadn’t had the second miscarriage, I would not have heard about Tommy’s.”
For the engagement, the Duchess wore a floral printed face mask along with a recycled blue long-sleeve dress.
The mod-style was belted at the waist with an A-line silhouette.
She also wore her hair in loose waves.
The Duchess continued her day by meeting some of the people behind Tommy’s intricate research, donning a protective lab coat and hearing about their work.
In all, it was an emotional, yet very important engagement for the Duchess – a great way to shine a light on a worthy cause.