EXCLUSIVE: Kate, Princess of Wales has “shone a light on an invisible army” of kinship carers as she visited support groups at the St Pancras Community Association in London this afternoon.
Dressed in a pink Alexander McQueen suit the royal spent 60 minutes chatting with the carers who are supported by Kinship, who explained how they were “isolated” before they became involved with the charity due to a lack of awareness of their specific needs.
Kinship was established in 2002 with the aim of “looking at the family differently” and providing support, community and advice for families who take in grandchildren, nieces and nephews, brothers and sisters and children of close friends when their birth parents are unable to look after them.
There are currently around 162,000 children across England and Wales being raised in kinship care, with Kate’s visit drawing attention to this often overlooked cause.
Dr Lucy Peake, chief executive of Kinship, told Express.co.uk: “The opportunity of having the Princess come and talk to kinship carers today has been incredible, because she’s shone a light on this invisible army of carers.
“Not only will that help them to feel that what they’re doing is being recognised, but it also will help us as a charity to reach people when they need us.”
Kate is a passionate supporter of causes focusing on child development and family life, having launched her Shaping Us project earlier this year to highlight the importance of the early years of a child’s life.