
The Duchess of Cambridge became Prisoner Cell Block HRH today as she made a secret visit to a women's prison.

Kate was whisked into HMP Send, near Woking, Surrey, amid a media blackout to meet inmates battling alcohol and drugs addiction.

It was an unusually gritty official engagement for the 33-year-old royal, who has never stepped through the doors of a jail before.

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The Duchess of Cambridge became Prisoner Cell Block HRH today as she made a secret visit to women's prison HMP Send, near Woking, Surrey. Kate met with female inmates battling alcohol and drugs addiction

The smart-looking Duchess appeared to share a joke with Isha Walker after being presented with a gift by the inmate who is on the Rehabilitation of Addicted Prisoners Trust programme

Still sporting her new bangs, the 33-year-old mother-of-two looked smart in a £365 ivory and grey-specked long sleeved dress that had frill detailing around the waist by London-based label The Fold

Still sporting her new bangs, Kate looked chic in a £365 Eaton dress in winter white tweed by London-based label The Fold. The long-sleeved ivory and grey dress had pretty peplum detailing around the waist, a small V-neckline and structured silhouette. It is described on the brand's website as the 'ultimate power dress'.

In keeping with the unusually sunny autumnal day, Kate left her tights at home and completed the look with suede grey heels and a matching clutch bag.

Journalists were asked not to reveal details of the visit beforehand due to security concerns and mobile phones and computer devices were banned.

A closed female prison, Send houses around 280 female prisoners, with a higher proportion of prisoners serving life serving life, mostly for murder, than any other women's jail.

Notorious former inmates include the Duchess of York's former dresser, Jane Andrews, who murdered her boyfriend in a jealous rage, and road rage killer Tracie Andrews.

It also has an addictive treatment unit which is where the Rehabilitation of Addicted Prisoners Trust (RAPt), which helped to organised the Duchess's visit, comes in.

RAPt operates in 26 prisons across the country and during her visit Kate met some of the women prisoners it is working with to hear their personal stories of how they became addicts, and what role addiction played in their offending

The Duchess of Cambridge sits with Isha Walker who is on the RAPT programme, right, and Amanda Cockran Unit Manager, left, during her prison visit, listening intently to the women's stories

RAPt operates in 26 prisons across the country and during her visit Kate met some of the women prisoners it is working with to hear their personal stories of how they became addicts, and what role addiction played in their offending.

Kate encountered inmates and former inmates who told her how their addiction led them to a life of crime in order to fund their addiction, including one woman who told her how she first encountered drugs when she discovered a box of syringes under her father's bed when she was no more than six.

The women at Send prison near Guildford did not know the identity of their visitor until half an hour before she arrived. Some believed they were going to see Russell Brand. 'They were surprised,' said one charity worker. 'Pleasantly surprised.'

They met the duchess in a meeting room where the paintings and inspirational slogans on the wall belied the razor wire and high fences that surrounded the building.

The room is part of a 20-bed unit run by the charity, which works in 26 prisons across the country.

The Duchess of Cambridge looks animated as she speaks to Isha Walker who is on the RAPT programme, during a visit to Her Majesty's Prison Send near Woking

The Duchess of Cambridge is all smiles as she is handed a present of a green apron featuring a multi-coloured car design by Isha Walker who is on the RAPT programme, during her visit to HMP Send

Isha, 33, who has been in and out of prison for the last 10 years, is understood to be serving a four year sentence for theft, and is due to be released in December next year, told the duchess how her addiction to crack and heroin led her to prison. Three weeks ago, she said, she completed the 12-step RAPt programme, the only one of its kind in women's prisons in Britain. 'I'm very happy and thankful that I did,' she said. 'It changed my life... thanks to RAPt I now know right from wrong.'

She added earlier: 'I was addicted to crack and heroin and committed crimes to feed my habit. I've had lots of challenges to deal with – mental health issues, depression, and a history of abuse.'

Now she has done the programme, she said, she hopes she has a bright future ahead of her. 'I'm hoping to work with drug treatment charities and young people when I get out, and I feel I have a lot to offer.'

The duchess, whose interested in RAPt stemmed from her work with mental health and addiction charities, looked visibly moved when a former inmate, Kirsty, 36, told her how as the daughter of addicts she first became aware of drugs.

'I remember finding a margarine tub under my dad's bed that had syringes in it. I was maybe five or six. It was normalised for me.'

Kirsty, 36, who now helps sex workers with addiction issues, said it was 'quite surreal' meeting the duchess. 'But she really puts you at your ease.'

She said the visit would help raise the awareness for the work done by RAPt. 'Addicts are not the great advertisements for humanity,' she said. 'But to hear that there are potential reasons, we did not just wake up and decide to tear through our families' lives and create chaos in our communities.'

In keeping with the unusually sunny weather, Kate left her tights and jacket at home while stepping out for the engagement

Ever elegant, she completed the refined look with a matching clutch bag, and left her fingernails unpainted

Kirsty, who spent years in prison as the result of her addiction to heroin and crack, did the RAPt programme at Send and is now a charity outreach worker Gloucester.

'I grew up in an addicted family and then moved to the care system,' she said. 'When I first started the programme I found it really hard to be vulnerable. But I put the work in and I'm so glad I did.'

Lacey, 36, a former inmate who is pregnant with her first child, completed the programme in 2008 and was released from prison in 2014. 'I believe that I was born an addict and can honestly say that RAPt helped to save my life. I knew that if I was released from prison and continued to live the way of life I'd had before, it wasn't going to end well.' She now works for a charity that employs ex-offenders to help prisoners.

She said that the duchess seemed genuinely interested in the issue. 'When royals visit prisons you kind of think, it's for show, but you could see she was genuinely interested in addiction and mental health.

The Duchess of Cambridge is pictured leaving HMP Send in Surrey after a visit to the Rehabilitation of Addicted Prisoners Trust

She wore her chestnut mane - which looked particularly glossy - loose, showcasing her much-admired new fringe

'There is a lot of stigma around addiction, which is totally understandable. People who don't have a personal experience of it, have not had a family member or a close friend go through it, they just don't understand it.

'It is nice to get it out there, about the powerlessness of it. It's not merely a choice. When I was in school, I did not think, "When I grow up I really want to be a drug addict". I had dreams and aspirations.'

After the meeting Isha gave the duchess two aprons made by inmates for Prince George and Princess Charlotte, as well as some prison-made pastries – from the Bad Girls Bakery – and honey from the prison bees. She said the duchess said of the aprons: 'George is going to need it for his painting and his colouring.'

Amanda Cockran, who runs the programme at Send, said the duchess's visit helped remind the inmates that they were not forgotten. To have someone say they were interested in how they were rebuilding their lives was, she said, 'immense'.

She added: 'She was really grateful that they had shared their stories. She was touched by their courage. Sharing that stuff with anybody is not easy.'

The Duchess is pictured inside of HMP Send, who notorious former inmates include the Duchess of York's former dresser, Jane Andrews, who murdered her boyfriend in a jealous rage, and road rage killer Tracie Andrews

A Kensington Palace spokesman said the visit reflected the Duchess's interest in learning how organisations support people living with substance misuse issues, and the impact of addiction within the wider family network

A Kensington Palace spokesman said the visit reflected the Duchess's interest in learning how organisations support people living with substance misuse issues, and the impact of addiction within the wider family network.

'As Patron of addiction charity, Action on Addiction, she is aware that addictions lie at the heart of so many social issues and the destructive role that substance misuse plays in vulnerable people's and communities' lives,' they said.

The RAPt addiction treatment programme at HMP Send is the only 12-step prison-based drug and alcohol programme for women in the country.

It is tailored to support the needs of women with addiction who have often experienced deep trauma and need specialist support to turn their lives around.

The programme focuses on building healthy relationships with partners, children and other family members after the often traumatic and damaging impact of addiction and crime.

The Duchess of Cambridge is greeted by RAPt chair of trustees David Bernstein as she arrives at HMP Send, Surrey, for a visit to the Rehabilitation of Addicted Prisoners Trust

Still sporting her new bangs, the 33-year-old mother-of-two looked smart in an ivory and grey specked long sleeved dress that had frill detailing around the waist

It was an unusually gritty official engagement for the Kate, who has never stepped through the doors of a jail before. She was all smiles as she is greeted by Governor of HMP Send Dave Charity

RAPt helps people from the moment they begin a rehabilitation programme in prison, through to leaving prison and building a productive life in the community.

That can include meeting someone at the gate on the day of release, helping them to find housing, or supporting them to access training and a job.

Half of all prisoners in this country are estimated to have committed crime associated with drugs (Ministry of Justice, 2013), and alcohol is a factor in nearly half of all violent crime (Office for National Statistics, 2014).

According to RAPt, over two thirds of those who have completed the programme are still drug and alcohol free three months after release from prison.

HMP Send currently operates as a closed Female Training and Resettlement Prison and has an operational capacity of 282.

The RAPt drug and alcohol treatment unit has been running at Send since 2000 and houses 20 women prisoners.

On the unusually gritty visit, Kate said: 'I was reminded today how addictions lie at the heart of so many social issues and how substance misuse can play such destructive role in vulnerable people's lives'

The Duchess of Cambridge shakes hands with RAPt chair of trustees David Bernstein as she arrived at HMP Send on an unusually sunny autumnal day

Unusually, Kensington Palace released a statement from the Duchess after the visit.

Many will see it as a clear attempt to establish her credentials in tackling more 'gritty' issues as part of her public work.

It said: 'I was reminded today how addictions lie at the heart of so many social issues and how substance misuse can play such destructive role in vulnerable people's lives. I saw again today that a failure to intervene early in life to tackle mental health problems and other challenges can have profound consequences for people throughout their lives.

'I am grateful to the women I met for sharing their difficult personal stories with me. It is encouraging to learn how organisations like RAPt are offering specialist support to help people break the cycle of addiction and look forward to a positive and crime free life.'

Kate spoke positively about the work that RAPt are doing with inmates following her visit, saying: 'It is encouraging to learn how organisations like RAPt are offering specialist support to help people break the cycle of addiction and look forward to a positive and crime free life'

The Duchess of Cambridge, right, is pictured walking alongside and chatting to Benita Refson from RAPT during a visit to Her Majesty's Prison Send near Woking

The Duchess, who gave birth to her second child Princess Charlotte in May, began a limited return to public duties last week.

She attended the opening ceremony of the Rugby World Cup at Twickenham on Saturday alongside husband Prince William and brother-in-law Prince Harry.

Dressed in a smart blue coat, Kate was remarkably animated as she watched the quadrennial tournament's opening game.

At one point, she leaned back against her husband – who was viewing the game through a pair of black-framed glasses – with her mouth wide open.

She later broke into a smile and applauded enthusiastically as England's Mike Brown scored the team's first try at Twickenham Stadium in London.

Although England were made to work tirelessly against the underdogs, they managed to clinch their 35-11 victory with a late flourish.

On her exit from the prison, Kate said: 'I saw again today that a failure to intervene early in life to tackle mental health problems and other challenges can have profound consequences for people throughout their lives'

As the game finished, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were seen clapping joyfully - while Prince Harry got to his feet and punched the air.

On Thursday Kate visited the Anna Freud Centre in North London to learn more about how it is helping to change mental health care for children and young people - her first engagement since taking the summer off to spend with her young family.

Looking slim in a £1,245 Ralph Lauren shirtdress, Kate displayed a funky new fringe as she greeted Michael Samuel, chairman of the trustees of the Anna Freud Centre, with a warm embrace upon her arrival.

Kate appeared in good spirits as she arrived at the centre in her supremely stylish dress. On Ralph Lauren's website, the 'Silk Austin Shirtdress' worn by Kate is described as having a 'supremely flattering fit' and comes with a patent leather belt that promises to accentuate the waist.

Her choice of the Anna Freud Centre was an interesting one and will, say sources, set the tone for much of her work in the coming months.

Kate is keen, they say, to explore child mental health issues and emphasise the importance of early intervention, as well as working with the whole family to provide children with in-school mental health services.