Kate and William were all smiles as they arrived at the Brynawel Rehabilitation Centre in South Wales, kicking off the first of a series of engagements the royal couple are undertaking today.
At the centre, the Prince and Princess heard first-hand about the work being done to support people struggling with the effects of drug and alcohol addiction.
Kate and William spoke with staff working at Brynawel Rehabilitation Centre as well as with some of its clients and their families, to learn which type of support the organisation provides and its effectiveness.
This is an issue particularly close to Princess Kate’s heart, who has been a patron for several years of Action on Addiction – another organisation focused on supporting people struggling with addiction.
The South Welsh centre has been delivering a range of support programmes for more than four decades.
Among the help it provides, the organisation is focused on supporting people with alcohol-related brain damage. It also leads specialist therapy courses to help clients improve their mental health.
Particular focus during the royal visit was put on how the current garden facilities and the outdoors are used as part of the therapy offered at the centre.
Kate and William, who have often spoken about the boost to mental and physical health that spending time outdoors can give to children and adults alike, also toured the new therapy allotments and garden.
These were created thanks to the support given by their Royal Foundation to a social enterprise, Life at No.27.
The help to this organisation, which is planning to create six allotments and gardens across southern Wales to deliver mental health support to local communities, is part of the Foundation’s “community impact” pilots, designed to bring about tangible impact in the communities the Prince and Princess visit up and down the country.
The community impact scheme is seen as a new way to undertake royal engagements, with funds being raised for local charities ahead of Kate and William’s visits rather than after they spotlighted an issue or organisation with their presence.
Later today, the Prince and Princess are also scheduled to visit the Aberavon Leisure & Fitness Centre to highlight the importance of sport and exercise for good mental health and wellbeing.
Among the people they will meet there are Welsh professional athletes Harrison Walsh and Hannah Brier.
Finally, the royals will meet emergency responders at the Wales Air Ambulance charity, which has completed more than 43,000 missions since it was founded in 2001.
These visits to Wales come ahead of St David’s Day, during which the patron of the nation is celebrated, the first Kate and William are celebrating as the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Since King Charles created his firstborn Prince of Wales, Kate and William have paid a few visits to the nation.
The pair’s first joint visit as Prince and Princess of Wales was in late September, when they returned to Anglesey – their first marital home – and met people in Swansea.
In November, the Prince visited alone he Senedd to meet local political leaders.
Most recently, Kate and William were in Cardiff on Saturday to watch England and Wales’ rugby teams going head to head in a Six Nations match.
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