The Princess of Wales was in Southampton today to officially open Hope Street, a pioneering project which is piloting a new approach in supporting women in the justice system.
The Princess arriving.
The Princess of Wales is opening Hope Street, a pioneering family-friendly residential community piloting a new approach to supporting women in the justice system, in Southampton. pic.twitter.com/us0BFtKd2m
— Richard Palmer (@RoyalReporter) June 27, 2023
I was fascinated to read about this work when the engagement was announced for Kate. Designed and brought to fruition by One Small Thing. The charity's vision is a justice system equipped to "recognise and respond" to trauma. They are fighting for a compassionate system that allows for the incredible impact the "vicious cycle" of trauma and disadvantage has on lives.
Fast forward to today and the seeds of tireless work are bearing tangible fruit in the form of Hope Street. The first of its kind in the UK, it is designed to transform women's and children’s experiences of the justice system. It offers a safe, reliable and purpose-planned community alternative for women which allows children to remain with their mothers in a home environment with tailored and ongoing support. Hope Street has been built and specifically designed by and for women to create a welcoming home environment, with light filled communal as well as private spaces, a 24-hour hub and on-site creche and play areas for children.
The effort has been spearheaded by an admirable woman, One Small Thing founder Lady Edwina Grosvenor. The criminologist, prison reformer and philanthropist has gained unique insight from her work within the prison system.
On the work of the charity Edwina says: "One Small Thing exists because there is a problem that needs fixing and I think I can fix it. Twenty years of hard graft working in prisons and a never abating feeling of rage at our current system is what has brought me here today." On her motto for life: "Your comfort zone is a lovely place, but nothing ever grows there." Throughout her work she has been inspired by her mother whom she described as a "super hero", adding: "Everybody needs someone to look up to. Mine is my mother because I now know how hard it is to be one. By that I mean being a fully present mother, even when you spread yourself so thin that on days you feel like there is almost nothing left." You'll notice Edwina greeted Kate like an old friend...
...and that's because she is one.
The Royal family and the Grosvenors have been incredibly close for generations. Edwina's father, the late Gerald, was a close friend of King Charles; his wife Natalia (Edwina's superhero) is Prince William's godmother and has served as something of a mentor to the future king over the years. Below, William and Natalia pictured at Tamara Grosvenor's 2004 wedding to Edward van Cutsem.
'After walking through the doors, Kate's face lit up as she greeted Edwina -- who, in turn, placed her hands on Kate's shoulders.
Kate said to Lady Edwina: 'How are you? Well done!'
During the engagement, Kate was taken on a tour of the newly-renovated facility by Lady Edwina Grosvenor.'
Edwina's brother Hugh, the new Duke of Westminster is Prince George's godfather and has loaned William and Kate the use of his private jet on several occasions for private holidays. With an estimated fortune of almost £10 billion, Hugh had been topping eligible bachelor lists for years, before finding love with his girlfriend of two years Olivia Henson, to whom he proposed earlier this year. This is a wedding we can certainly expect to see the Waleses attend, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if George plays a role at the ceremony.
Kate had the opportunity to tour the new facility and hear first-hand about the supports offered. The Princess heard how Hope Street will work to prevent the trauma of mothers being separated from their children in the justice system, before meeting women who have lived experience of the system.
Kensington Palace said: "Inspired by One Small Thing’s commitment to systemic change for women and children in the justice system, Hope Street offers a community alternative for women who would otherwise be imprisoned unnecessarily due to a lack of safe accommodation or concerns around their wellbeing. The charity has deployed an evidence-based approach which is being independently monitored by the University of Southampton, the Prison Reform Trust and EP:IC. The pilot aims to demonstrate how a compassionate and supportive approach towards women in the justice system can have a transformative impact and improve outcomes for society, providing a blueprint which can be scaled across the country."
A Palace spokesperson added: "The Princess of Wales has dedicated her time to raising the awareness of the critical importance of early childhood, and in January 2023, with the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, launched Shaping Us, a long-term campaign. The Shaping Us campaign highlights that, by focusing our collective time, energy, and resources to build a supportive, nurturing world around all children and those caring for them, we can make a huge difference to the physical and mental health and happiness of generations to come. More recently, Her Royal Highness spent time with families who have spent time in the care system, as well as foster and adoptive carers and kinship carers to stress the increased importance of strong, loving and consistent relationships to children who experience trauma and adversity in early life."
People reports Kate wrote a poignant message before leaving:
'The Princess of Wales also left a personal, handwritten message on the facility's Tree of Hope.
"I see you and I am with you. Good luck in all that lies ahead," she wrote, signing the note as simply "Catherine."'
A royal message on a tree. pic.twitter.com/eJKM7ZU8ar
— Richard Palmer (@RoyalReporter) June 27, 2023
A wave goodbye from the Princess.
If you're interested in hearing more about Edwina's work, below is her interview on The Two Norries podcast.
The Princess sported a familiar Alessandra Rich design today.
Kate wore the sold-out Chelsea-collar, polka-dot, silk-crepe dress. Described as: "Alessandra Rich’s navy polka-dot dress is rendered in silk crepe with a tie at the 1980s-inspired Chelsea collar, then accented with a peplum and crystal-embellished buttons."
The Princess debuted the piece at Wimbledon last year.
Once again, Kate teamed the dress with her Alessandra Rich Suede and Patent Leather Two-Tone pumps. An updated version of the shoes can be viewed at My Theresa.
Kate carried her white Mulberry Amberely bag.
Competing the look with her SHYLA baroque pearl earrings.
We'll see the Princess tomorrow for the opening of the Young V&A Museum.
This must be a wonderful charity, I'm so glad Kate supports it. She also looks great. I love the photo with Lady Edwina and I am inspired by her motto! Zora from Prague
ReplyDeleteThis was an excellent outing for the Princess, again highlighting that supporting children and their mothers through traumatic early experiences can positively impact their futures.
ReplyDeleteGood to see her in a repeated outfit - continuing her spotty theme! The 80's vibe is still right on trend.
What an incredibly impressive woman Lady Edwina is! After reading what you've written about her, I did a little more reading and found that she first became interested in helping society's unseen people around age 12, after visiting a rehabilitation center in Liverpool. She spent her gap year working at charities and prison systems in Nepal and was a founding investor of The Clink, "a British charity that identifies the training and support needed for prisoners to find jobs following release".
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing that she's dedicated her life to these causes, that often don't get a lot of attention.
I agree Jennifer - very impressive. It's just wonderful to hear and learn that Will and Kate have these types of individuals in their lives - and so dependable in their roles.
DeleteIt's the unsung champions - like Lady Edwina - who are truly committed to evoking change. There are many in the world who do so selflessly and without fanfare. Lady Edwina's causes are extremely important and can be life changing for many.
DeleteA beautiful project, and a very nice message written on the Tree of Hope. I don't know if Kate chose the color of her cardboard herself, or if it was by chance, but green is the color of hope... A very nice sign in relation to this Hope Street project ! I really like the idea of this Tree, which would be interesting to see in more places.
ReplyDeleteKate seems in her element, very comfortable, I would like to see her support more projects dedicated to women.
A little fashion note : a beautiful set, both classy and accessible, which fits very well for this day.
Thank you Charlotte for including the ‘Two Norries’ podcast with Edwina as guest in this post. The Two Norries are 2 Irishmen who’ve been through the prison system and who emerged from it eager to help reform the criminal justice system as well as help people deal with their social and mental health well being. Edwina shares similar concern.
ReplyDeleteI think Edwina is quite a good role model for the royals to follow. She picks a few causes, sticks with them, educates herself early on and invests a good chunk of her fortune to make a difference. Edwina acknowledges that this halfway house will hosts only a handful of women as it’s part of an experiment. The ability to do more is lack of governmental funding. This is where small philanthropy meets the brick wall. Legal aid funding over the years has been drastically cut, but the needs have grown. The justice system is collapsing and failing the most vulnerable in society. It’s failing victims of crime, those with mental health and addiction issues and those who are charged but aren’t getting fair and just due process and representation.
To be an effective change maker, I believe you have to pick a cause and stay with it. Sustain it, baby it, and as Edwina said, leave your comfort zone. Diana did that, initially I think guided by her instinct, and was successful in changing minds and hearts and eventually some policies. Present day royals need to do more than retread Diana’s footsteps and invoking her legacy. They need to step out of their personal comfort zone and make the tangibles happen.
Fashion note: I like how Edwina presents herself both in her way of speaking and dress. She said a revealing thing in the podcast in that she spent most of her life making people feel comfortable around her. It’s a very active and conscious decision that takes discipline and giving up some of that birth privileges. She dresses simply, comfortably - in flats, but appears elegant and at ease. Edwina is an odd duck within her social class, even among the big names with charities under their belt. But you can tell she has earned the respect by the regular people as someone with real professional gravitas and a genuine stake to improve the welfare of the people she wants to help. She doesn’t dabble. This is her career.
I'm not sure Lady Edwina is quite as odd a duck as you might think. Though I don't know of any other member of the social elite on either side of the pond who has gone as far in criminology and prison reform as she seems to have done, I attended a famous prep school (that means "expensive and independent secondary-level boarding school" for you British) and two Ivy League universities. At all three institutions, I met many people of wealth who were trying to shed their families' glittering images by throwing themselves seriously into careers of service. As someone who did not come from wealth, who was on financial aid at all of my educational institutions, it was deeply reassuring to know -- indeed, it made me feel a little more confident about the future of humanity -- that such men and women existed.
DeleteI absolutely agree that in order to gain something (a change or a goal) you need to step out of your comfort zone. To burn for something means you cannot let it pass. Lady Edwina has aligned her career and her personal goal, which, after all is a proper privilege, rich or poor.
DeleteTo gain trust and respect for your project you need to live it, love it and advocate it. With this project, Lady Edwina demonstrates just that: build your project stone by stone.
Thanks Charlotte - for an interesting post.
Heidi
I believe that William and Kate are moving towards this model, of "picking a cause, and staying with it". I completely agree to effect change one does need to champion the cause, and progress it in all the phases needed to make it a reality. We will see more of this in the future with William and Kate stepping out of their comfort zone because they truly believe in the causes they support.
DeleteI don't much like the dress but Kate looks very well. I love that she's outside the Windsor bubble, repeating an outfit and supporting such a great cause.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to say, William seems to be off to an impressive start with his initiative to end homelessness. It's really nice to see him maximise the PoW role to make a difference (since I've long had a theory that he's a reluctant royal).
ReplyDeleteABCD - yes. I heard it covered on the morning news here in the US. Princess Di thought him well. Wish that Harry and Wills could come together on an initiative on that topic.
DeleteMy post didn't appear again. A nice rewear today from the Princess. I liked it the first time as well. This is a fantastic project and well done to Lady Edwina, she really has put her time and a lot of hard work into this. Hope Street, I like the name. It's good to remember no matter how hard things get there is always hope. The two Norrie's are very well known here in Cork and all over Ireland really. They do great work on mental health and the issues surrounding it like prison, drugs and homelessness. The Duke of Westminster will be getting married on the 7th June 2024. Thanks Charlotte. S.🙂.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to add, well done to The Prince of Wales on his latest project. I hope that it is very successful. S🙂.
DeleteQuite an interesting cause. I actually came away from this post feeling much more intrigued by Lady Edwina than by the Princess and wondering what led her to criminology and prison reform. Does she hold academic credentials in the field, or has she simply studied on her own? Many aristocrats, of course, devote themselves to charitable endeavors about which they are passionate, but although I know of a few who have been very faithful prison visitors, I haven't before seen one take his or her activities in this area as far as this. Well done to Lady Edwina.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Princess's clothes, I think I said when she wore this dress before that I appreciated the retro look -- not only of this dress but also the one she wore for the Garter procession. And I love the shoes and earrings. But, I swear, I've seen enough polka dots on her to do me for a lifetime! Please, give them a rest!
I agree. Well done to Lady Edwina for all that she has done over the years and continues to do. She started working at a homeless charity at the age of 15. Spend her gap year working in a prison. It must stem from there. She is also a God daughter of the late Princess of Wales, another family connection. S.🙂.
DeleteThis was an excellent visit. The Princess looks lovely in this rewear, love the earrings.
ReplyDeleteI love this engagement - it's such an important cause, I would love to see prison reform become part of Kate's mission. I'm also so glad to see her in shoes that aren't her usual suede pumps!
ReplyDeleteI don't mind the polka dots, though I'm not a huge fan of retro styles. This dress reminds me of one that Diana wore that I rather liked, though hers had long sleeves and a white collar. And Lady Edwina is indeed impressive.
ReplyDeleteI googled Princess Diana&polka dots and it does seem she enjoyed wearing them! Zora from Prague
DeleteI don't mind the polka dots either, and while they do evoke some memories of Diana, think that Kate puts on her own twist. She likes what she likes!
DeleteThe Alessandra Rich dresses are a specific look, but I don’t find them very flattering. Kate can wear a trash bag and look fantastic, and yet these fussy designs (plus polka dots from top to bottom) don’t do her any favors.
ReplyDeleteI think Kate chose well for this outing (a repeat keeps the focus on the event and not so much Kate's wardrobe). It worked well for Wimbledon and looks great here too. I was thinking she might wear the yellow Alessandra Rich from the royal tour for Wimbledon but now guessing she won't. There are a few repeats I've love to see at Wimbledon - the Emilia Wickstead Denvella Dress, the Emilia Wickstead Alice dress, and still hoping we see the Suzannah Budding Heart dress again.
ReplyDeleteI purchased the Suzannah Budding Heart dress way back when and was surprised -for a silk dress - how thin the material actually was. A lovely dress and nice fit, but save it for special occasions - weddings.
DeleteExcellent visit and nice to find out about people and what they are doing to help others in the community and this is what the Royal Family are good at highlighting places like this and hopefully others (government/business) with the funds to do so can contribute to these initiatives. I'm not a fan of this retro dress I may have said that when she wore it last year. I like the shoes and bag and gorgeous earrings too. Sue in WA
ReplyDeleteNot only do I love following this blog for Kate's fashions and information about the patronages and charities, I absolutely love looking at the people in the background! I love to see how they dress, how they react, wonder about what they do and how they got involved....thank you Charlotte for opening our world to others.
ReplyDeleteI’m really impressed by Lady Edwina and this program to help women get back on their feet. The Princess shines such a light on this.
ReplyDelete