The Princess of Wales was greeted by shouts of "we need more funding" from women inmates as she visited a prison's mother and baby unit.
The unit aims to establish and maintain a strong bond between mother and child, in line with evidence that a key psychological process of attachment takes place between babies and their primary caregiver in the initial months of life, which influences later development.
Kate, who has been returning to public engagements after ending preventative cancer treatment in November, travelled to HMP Styal in Cheshire to meet inmates in the unit.
At HMP Styal, prisoners with babies live in a separate area of the institution and get parenting support from trained prison staff and early years practitioners.
The mother and baby unit provides a dedicated place for new and expectant mothers serving a prison sentence or on remand.
