Princess Kate says 'I love her slippers' as she plays with babies during hospital visit
Princess Kate says 'I love her slippers' as she plays with babies during hospital visit
Anahita Hossein-PourWed, November 11, 2026 at 2:42 PM UTC
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The Princess of Wales sat on a play mat alongside a baby girl and remarked, "I love her slippers," while meeting families receiving additional support for their children’s early social development at a Hampshire community hospital.
Attending Chase Community Hospital in Bordon on Wednesday dressed in a suit with a poppy, Kate observed how a scheme backed by her charitable arm, the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, is broadening its reach to assist more parents.
Throughout the visit, she saw health visitors apply an observational tool called the Alarm Distress Baby Scale (ADBB), designed to help identify early signs of social withdrawal among infants aged zero to 24 months.
Under this framework, healthcare and childcare professionals monitor babies’ eye contact, facial expressions and activity levels during check-ups to better evaluate their social behaviour and spot signs of withdrawal that require further aid.
Kate sat with Amy Raynsford and her six-month-old daughter Enid during the child's second review, with the princess sharing smiles and holding the baby's finger on the play mat.
Kate arrived at Chase Community Hospital in Bordon to witness how a project, which is backed by her charitable arm the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, is expanding to help more families (Reuters)
Ms Raynsford, from Farnborough, explained that Enid had been referred to the programme following a premature birth, noting that the initiative has proven particularly beneficial in helping her read her daughter's cues.
The 45-year-old said it was “really lovely” to meet Kate who was “genuinely interested,” adding: “Enid behaved, so even better.”
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Mum Anca, who did not give her surname, also said it would be great if the service could be extended to other areas as being part of the programme.
The 37-year-old from Farnborough said it has been “very helpful” for her with her five-and-a-half month baby Enze after an experience knocked her confidence and she needed some support.
Of Kate, she added: “It’s very good she’s taking interest in this subject.”
At the hospital, Kate also joined discussions with NHS and healthcare staff, including trusts interested in using the approach in their regions (Reuters)
Kate first saw the programme in action on a visit to Denmark with The Centre for Early Childhood in February 2022 and later called for the philanthropic unit to look at how it could be introduced in the UK, working with the Institute of Health Visiting.
Since then, two pilot phases have been carried out across 10 NHS sites, and the centre announced this summer a further £250,000 cash boost over three years to expand the approach’s use, including developing guidance and training resources.
One of the health visiting teams from the Chase Community Hospital was among those at the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust to be trained as part of the second pilot.
Princess of Wales interacts with baby Ruby during her visit to The Chase Community Hospital (Getty)
The NHS trust has trained up more specialist health visitors in ADBB and plans to roll out the training to its remaining 13 health visiting teams across the county.
At the hospital, Kate also joined discussions with NHS and healthcare staff, including trusts interested in using the approach in their regions.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
