Kate Middleton Is Pretty in Tweed for Women’s Prison Visit in London

She looked ever so elegant in the knee-length dress, which featured long sleeves and a subtle v-neckline. It is described on the brand’s website as the “ultimate power dress”. Middleton accessorized her outfit with suede pumps and a matching gray clutch, and styled her brunette tresses – new bangs included – partially pinned back. The visit was something of a “surprise”, in the sense that reporters were asked by the palace to not release any information about the visit in advance, and phones and laptops were banned from the premises.

HMP Send has 282 women prisoners, with nearly three-quarters of them with long-term sentences of four years or more and a number serving life terms. “I walked out of these gates on the 4 August 4, 2008”, adding that both her parents had been drug users and that being “clean” of substances was a concept introduced to her at Send.

She also met ex-inmates and heard how the programme helped them turn their lives around.

It was an unusually gritty official engagement for the Kate, who has never stepped through the doors of a jail before.

The Duchess is Patron of the charity Action on Addiction, and is keen to learn more about the root causes of addiction, its destructive effect on individuals and society, and what can be done to stop it.

The prison also includes an addictive treatment unit.

Kate joined another group of offenders on the programme for a private meeting and when she left was presented with goods made by the prisoners and sold at craft fairs locally. The charity aims to help those in prison and in the community dealing with addiction overcome their issues and “lead positive lives”.

HMP Send now operates as a closed Female Training and Resettlement Prison and has an operational capacity of 282. Unlike the Duchess’ other royal outings, this one was not announced by Kensington Palace. “It shows that she’s not afraid to tackle some controversial issues with her work and she’s not afraid to reach out to the most troubled sections of society”. She listened to the personal stories of numerous inmates she met and heard about the impact their addiction, as well as mental illness and other challenges, had on their lives.