Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge has shared a powerful statement on addiction during a special charity event on Tuesday.
Dressed in a pleated red skirt and matching turtleneck sweater, the royal accessorised with tan Ralph Lauren pumps and a DeMellier mini-purse in the same leather.
Her outfit was a welcome splash of colour as she headed out to deliver a keynote speech to launch the “Taking Action on Addiction” campaign through her patronage The Forward Trust.
Duchess Catherine stepped out in a vibrant red ensemble with chic brown accessories.
(Getty)“Addiction is not a choice,” the 39-year-old said in the moving speech, which emphasised the importance of changing the narrative around addiction.
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“No one chooses to become an addict. But it can happen to any one of us. None of us are immune.
“Yet it’s all too rarely discussed as a serious mental health condition. And seldom do we take the time to uncover and fully understand its fundamental root causes.”
Catherine went on to explain that the “journey towards addiction” is a complex one and that we need to end the taboo and shame around addiction if we want to better support the people going through it.
She called for nurturing, care and support for addicts, urging people to help individuals battling addiction “who are clearly suffering.”
“As a society, we need to start from a position of compassion and empathy,” she continued.
The Duchess of Cambridge went on to voice how proud she is to be patron of the much-needed charity amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has caused many addicts to relapse.
She also noted that the path towards addiction begins for many people in childhood, linking to her ongoing work in the early years.
“As a society, we need to start from a position of compassion and empathy.”
(Getty)The royal mum-of-three then met with key people backing the charity on Tuesday, as well as individuals who have experienced addiction and shared their stories.
One of those people was UK TV giant Ant McPartlin, who arrived with I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here (UK) co-host, Declan Donnolly who together are better known as Ant and Dec.
Catherine seemed surprised to see the TV duo, pausing for a moment and looking startled when she bumped into them before breaking into a laugh.
WATCH: Duchess Catherine’s surprise as she runs into UK TV stars – story continues after the video…
“I wasn’t expecting that,” she said, adding: “I felt like I was walking into a bushtucker trial.”
Her joke about one of the common segments on the UK version of I’m A Celeb… had fans wondering if the royal tunes into the show at home in her downtime.
She went on to chat with the duo, with Ant opening up to her about his own battle with drug and alcohol addiction in the past.
“As soon as you open up to people, problems have got to disappear. It gets better and help is there,” he said.
