Kate Middletonstepped into the spotlight on Wednesday to make arare and eloquent speech during a solo outing at a gala dinnerfor Addiction Awareness Week.
The royal mom doesn’t often make formal speeches. In fact, after her first public speech in 2012, shereportedlytold a guest: “I find doing speeches nerve-wracking.”
She often appears more comfortableinteracting with members of the public on a personal level— in the crowds and on intimate outings. But asQueen Elizabethcontinues tohand off more and more of her royal dutiesto senior members of the royal family, Kate has been increasingly speaking out.
And since becoming of mom of three, she’s displayed a newfound confidence that has seen her championing solo projects, such as hernewly designed garden for the Chelsea Flower Showand her latest campaign focused on themental health of kids.
On Wednesday, she took the podium to deliver a heartfelt speech for Action on Addiction’s Addiction Awareness Week, which aims to foster discussion about the varied elements of addiction and engage with people and families affected.
Kate Middleton.Ian Vogler - WPA Pool/Getty
“I’m hugely passionate about the support it provides, especially for parents, children and families who suffer from, or through, addiction. And in some ways, it was the catalyst for my interest in early childhood development too.”
“For the last few years, I’ve been focussing on the importance of prevention: how can we all really support the earliest years of life, build foundations, and help avoid adversity later on in life.
“Having met so many people who’ve suffered from addiction, I have seen over and over again that, sadly, the root cause can so often be traced right back to the very earliest years of someone’s life.
“Trauma experienced in early childhood, in some cases, as a result of separation, abandonment, abuse, or even emotional neglect, can have a lasting effect.
Kate Middleton.David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty
“What we experience during our earliest years, even while we’re still in the womb, shapes the developing brain.
“It is therefore vital that we support everyone who cares for children in those formative years, especially if we want to help with the inter-generational cycle of addiction.
“Sadly, for many who are suffering with addiction, they just don’t receive the help they need early enough. They have already reached crisis point before they find the support they need.
“There was never a more important time for Action on Addiction to succeed. And I, for one, could not be more delighted to support such a special organization.”
Ian Vogler - WPA Pool/Getty
Over the past few years, Kate has put children’s mental health at the forefront of her public work and recently set up a steering group of academics and experts to help advise her on the best ways forward in tackling the problem.
The royal mom’s involvement is bringing about a “major shift in attitudes to mental health, with greater understanding that [it] is just as important as our physical health,” Catherine Roche, the chief executive of one of Kate’s charities, Place2Be, previously told PEOPLE
“We can see how this is becoming an issue that is being publicly discussed — which is a real sea change,” added Roche. Kate’s “commitment and understanding is making a huge difference to the level of interest that this previously neglected area is now receiving.”
source: people.com
