Princess Kate thrills youngsters as she appears at Family Action’s Children’s Trauma Therapy Service in Bradford for Royal visit
The Princess of Wales met the children at a trauma therapy centre, which she described as a ‘lifeline’.
Kate spoke to therapists at Family Action in Bradford this morning; this is a charity that helps children and their families recover from complex trauma.
She also participated in creative therapy sessions, talking to children about collage trees and wishing boxes, to understand how the use of play could be a tool for healing.
The Princess is visiting organizations across the North of England today to highlight the power of creativity, community and nature for those experiencing trauma, isolation and mental health issues.
He has long advocated for mental health issues and most recently highlighted how nature was helping him ‘recover’ from cancer treatment in a video series released on his 44th birthday.
Family Action, of which Kate is patron, provides practical, emotional and financial support to families facing poverty, disadvantage and isolation across the country.
The children’s trauma therapy service in Bradford works with children who have experienced abuse, neglect or a traumatic bereavement.
He told staff at the centre: ‘It’s probably been a lifeline for them in many ways and being able to extend umbilical cord support is the fact that you can continue that relationship with them.’
Kate Middleton is all smiles as she greets the public and is seen holding flowers as she leaves Wakefield rugby club today
Family Action boss Princess Kate during a visit to the charity’s Child Trauma Therapy Service in Bradford
Kate attended creative therapy sessions at the center in Bradford, where she talked to children about collage trees and wishing boxes.
Kate attended a therapy session for a mother and her 12-year-old son who were painting with leaves on a collage tree designed to help children express their feelings and discuss their therapy journey.
The boy talked about how music helped him overcome difficult emotions and that he now plays drums in a band.
Kate said: ‘It’s a great way to express yourself and manage really difficult and tough emotions that sometimes are harder to express in words than in any other way.’
He asked if she had ever considered playing in a band.
He replied: ‘No. ‘If you had told me this three years ago I wouldn’t have believed you because I wouldn’t have thought I was competent enough to pay attention to it.’
Kate then met a mother and her five-year-old daughter as they decorated a wishing box, adding items to the box that would help them express their feelings.
The princess greeted the girl by crouching down and holding her hand before complimenting her leopard print dress.
‘I like your dress. This is a lovely dress and shoes, I have similar boots but unfortunately they don’t have any glitter on them. ‘Are these your favorite boots?’ he said.
The Princess of Wales waves as she arrives at Wakefield’s Trinity Stadium on January 27, 2026
The Princess visits organizations in the North of England to highlight the power of creativity, community and nature for those experiencing trauma, isolation and mental health issues
The Princess waves to Royals fans as she leaves Wakefield Trinity Rugby League club on January 27, 2026
Kate talks to a girl who is decorating a box and filling it with various items, including a seashell. The Princess of Wales told him: ‘Sometimes when you put it to your ear you can hear the waves. ‘This is what I like to do with seashells’
Kate attends therapy session of a mother and her 12-year-old son as they paint leaves to make a collage tree
The princess greeted a girl by crouching down and holding her hand before complimenting her leopard print dress.
The girl had put a small bowl of glitter and water into the box, which she called ‘potion’.
When asked what the potion was for, he said ‘it keeps bad dreams away’. Kate told the girl’s mother that ‘a lot of people need more of these’.
The girl had also placed two seashells in the box, as well as a feather that her therapist said was to keep her “busy mind” “nice and calm.”
Kate told him: ‘Sometimes when you put it to your ear you can hear the waves. That’s what I like to do with shells.’
Then he asked: ‘Did you enjoy coming here to do this with your mother? What did you enjoy about it?
‘Is it possible to play together? ‘Can you talk about some of the things you found difficult?’
The girl’s mother later joked: ‘I think he was more excited to see Esther. [her therapist].’
Kate holds a bouquet of flowers as she greets Royal fans during a visit to Wakefield’s Trinity Stadium. The Princess is the Patron of the Rugby Football League
Kate joined the club to learn about its comprehensive outreach programs that bring generations together, provide meaningful support to individuals struggling with loneliness and isolation in society.
The Princess of Wales took to the field to take part in a skills session with girls from Wakefield’s Champion schools competition
Kate is seen here entering the stadium with the RFL’s Director of Performance and Development, Marc Lovering.
The Princess sits in the dugout with a group of students during a visit to Wakefield’s Trinity Stadium
Senior therapist Stuart Murray-Borbjerg said of Princess Kate: ‘She seemed genuinely interested in hearing about the family’s experience of the service and its impact.’
He explained the importance of ‘non-verbal approaches to therapy’, which use tools such as art, music and movement to express emotions where language fails.
‘Something that is lost due to traumatic experiences is the sense of play and joy that comes back when you make music or draw together,’ he said.
‘[It’s] Something the princess also said; This sort of thing is lost on adults, but George keeps it playful. I think he said one [of her children] ‘He’s playing guitar and someone’s playing drums.’
