Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales.Photo: KIN CHEUNG/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Kate Middletonis taking her campaigning for children’s well-being on the road and spending time with teens who get help through sports to mark Mental Health Awareness Week.
The Princess of Wales headed to Bath, about 115 miles west of London, on Tuesday to hear from young people who get mentoring and other inspirational help from athletes.The Dame Kelly Holmes Trustuses sports stars to pass on their winning mindset and give coaching to help children with the confidence they need in their education, future work and daily lives.
The youth development organization, named for the founder and British Olympian runner Kelly Holmes, brings well-being programs to children’s hospitals and schools — often targeting young people who have social, emotional and other mental health challenges.
The Princess of Wales looked ready for summer in a white top and pants combination paired with a yellow blazer — and the color choice of her jacket appeared to be no coincidence as yellow is a prominent color in the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust logo andwebsite!
She opted for white sneakers — her go-toVeja sneakers, also worn just last week when she andPrince Williamjoined aBig Lunch eventin Windsor as part of King Charles' coronation weekend — during the outing. The comfortable footwear allowed her to take part in some activities (including a game played with beanbags).
Kate Middleton in Bath.Kin Cheung - WPA Pool/Getty Images
McDermott took part in the bean bag game with the royal and the students.
“She’s one of those people who just loves to get stuck in,” McDermott tells PEOPLE of the Princess of Wales. “She’s so personable and a real inspiration. She’s a really strong, driven woman who really wants to make a difference. That showed in the interactions with the girls. She will talk to a home and asks lots of questions. When you’re in a room with her, it feels like she’s one of everyone. She’s really amazing at just slotting right in so beautifully to any setting that she’s in. I’ve noticed that, and I’m kind of awe in that about her.”
McDermott adds, “As always, she’s so incredibly engaged. This is a topic that’s so close to her heart. The whole campaign is centered around something she’s been so passionate about. It’s an absolute honor to work with her and that she wanted me here today.”
Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales.Kin Cheung - WPA Pool/Getty Images
“I wasn’t academic and didn’t have those learning abilities and sport became my purpose in life,” she says. “And that was because the one person who told me I could be good was my PE teacher. I always had in my mind that one person could make a difference in peoples' lives. And I wanted to be that person.”
She adds that sporting role models can “get the best out of people.”
“We utilize the skills that sports people go through — failure, disappointment, and trying to bring their confidence and self esteem to the fore. And we use that when we work with young people,” she explains.
Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales and Dame Kelly Holmes.Kin Cheung - WPA Pool/Getty Images
Holmes adds that Princess Kate “was so open and attentive to the young people” during the visit.
“I asked her the question of why she’s so passionate about mental health, and she believes ‘every young person should get a chance to be themselves.’ And every young person, especially a teenager, they’re going through a huge crisis at the moment,” Holmes says.
Citing the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of social media and teens trying to establish their friendship groups as particular pressures on them.
“She was lovely because she was just willing to be asked questions,” Holmes said of Kate. “That was really nice because it showed somebody of her stature and status is human as well.”
Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales.KIN CHEUNG/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Princess Kate andPrince William’s shared Twitter account wrote after the outing, “Thank you to the wonderful young women from St Katherine’s School for speaking so openly and honestly about their mental health and how the@DameKellysTrusthas supported them. “It was a pleasure to chat about social and emotional development with you and to have#ShapingUsChampion Zara McDermott here with us this#MentalHealthAwarenessWeek.”
Mental health in young people is a key focus of Kate’s public life. She has been associated with charities like Mentally Healthy Schools program andAnna Freud National Centre for Children and Familiesfor many years. She also came up with the idea for the successful Heads Together campaign that saw her husbandPrince Williamand brother-in-law Prince Harry join her in a series of initiatives to raise the profile of mental well-being.
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Later in the week, the Princess of Wales will head to one of her longstanding charities, theAnna Freud Centrein London, where she will talk to students and also join a series of roundtable discussions with experts in the sector experts, the charity’s staff and those with lived experience of mental health challenges.
source: people.com
