Kate Middleton Steps Out in Northern England for First Solo Away Day of the Year

 

Kate Middleton Steps Out in Northern England for First Solo Away Day of the Year

Kate Middleton is out on her first solo away day of year.

The Princess of Wales visited community groups in the North of England to highlight how creativity and nature can boost mental health, ease isolation and help those who have experienced trauma.

Princess Kate, 44, began her day in Bradford, West Yorkshire (about 200 miles north of London), where she went to see the work of one of the charities she supports: Family Action. The organization runs a Children’s Trauma Therapy service in the city, which helps youngsters aged between 4 and 18 years old and their families recover from and understand their responses to complex trauma.

There, she met with therapists to be shown how creative exercises and work are beneficial to children as they process trauma.

Princess Kate was invited to join in a creative therapy session as she spent time with families and children who have used the service, helping the royal understand how the use of play and imagination can be a vehicle for healing.

Kate Middleton in Bradford, England.

Chris Jackson/Getty 

At one point, the Princess of Wales was seen holding a seashell up to her ear and showing a 5-year-old girl how to "hear the sea."

Kate Middleton listens to a seashell on Jan. 27, 2026.

Chris Jackson/Getty 

"Sometimes, if you put them to your ear, you can sometimes hear the sea," Kate told the child, according to Hello! magazine. "Do you want to see if you can hear the sea? Sometimes you can hear the waves, if you listen very quietly."

"That’s what I like doing with shells," she continued. "If you close your eyes, you can sometimes imagine you’re by the beach."

Family Action provides young people and adults — who may have experienced adversity, abuse and traumatic bereavement — with direct, practical help to families.

Kate Middleton in Bradford on Jan. 27, 2026.

Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace

Kate’s second stop was at Wakefield Trinity Rugby League team about 20 miles away, as the Princess of Wales is the patron of the Rugby Football League.

There, Princess Kate was in her element as she joined in a skills session with girls from a local school and met elderly people who were taking part in a program called In Touch, which provides an open space for the local community to help tackle social isolation by hosting quizzes, workshops and stadium tours.

Kate Middleton visits Wakefield Trinity Rugby League club on Jan. 27, 2026.

Dominic Lipinski / Kensington Palace

She was then taken to meet with young people from Wakefield’s Inspiring Futures program, which supports those who are at risk of anti-social behavior and youth crime.

Then, the royal was taken out to the rugby pitch for training drills with girls from the town’s Champion Schools competition. The contest, hosted at professional Rugby League club venues, is a high school knock-out competition played at the start of the academic year.

The day followed Princess Kate’s joint engagements with husband Prince William (including a visit to Scotland on Jan. 20), one of a number of engagements that have kicked off the year. And it wasn't the only occasion marking rugby: On Jan. 15, Kate hosted England's Women's Rugby team at Windsor Castle to celebrate the squad's World Cup win in September 2025.

Kate Middleton in Bradford, England.

Chris Jackson/Getty

Before Kate headed to Scotland with William, the princess went out to see Royal Ballet and Opera's staging of Woolf Works, a ballet triptych inspired by the works of Virginia Woolf. "Thank you to the Royal Ballet for an amazing evening of creative inspiration at Woolf Works this weekend!" Kate, 44, captioned her post, signing off with her initial "C" for Catherine, indicating that the message came directly from her.

She started 2026 with a surprise alongside William, 43, on Jan. 8, showing support for health workers during virus season at Charing Cross Hospital in west London.

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