Kate Middleton is helping to tackle the harmful effects of addiction from the ground up.

The Princess of Wales, 44, traveled to Southend-on-Sea, about 40 miles east of London, on Sept. 24 to visit The Forward Trust, where she saw how spending time outdoors and connecting with nature are being used to support wellbeing and help people on their path to recovery.

Supporting people and families affected by addiction has been a cornerstone of Kate’s work since almost the beginning of her royal life. Less than a year after her 2011 marriage to Prince William, she chose addiction charity Action on Addiction as one of her first four royal patronages in January 2012.

Her work in the area has also helped shape her broader focus on mental health and the early years, particularly her emphasis on how experiences and relationships early in life can have a lasting impact on wellbeing.

At The Forward Trust’s Southend-on-Sea center, Princess Kate was shown the charity’s community initiative Forward Growing, which runs weekly gardening sessions designed to help people connect with nature, build confidence and develop practical skills in an outdoor setting.

Wearing dark trousers with a brown top and plaid blazer, Kate even got her hands dirty as she joined in with some potting.

The charity hopes the initiative will eventually lead to a dedicated Forward gardening area at the town’s Garon Park, creating a space for recovery, learning and community involvement.

Kate’s visit came during Addiction Awareness Week and its “Big Addiction Conversation,” a campaign encouraging people to speak more openly about addiction. The initiative aims to spark 17,000 conversations over the next year — one for every life lost annually to alcohol or drug-related causes — with toolkits and Conversation Cards developed by The Forward Trust alongside ambassadors with lived experience.

Last year, during the charity-backed week highlighting addiction issues, Kate spoke about how a conversation can kick-start help. “Many of us will know someone who is struggling with an addiction. Now is the moment to show our compassion and love to help them, or their friends and family, to reach out to organizations like The Forward Trust for support.”

She added, “Recovery is hard, but with the right treatment it is possible. And this begins with a conversation, a listening ear and showing we care. By talking about it in the open, together we can bring addiction and the harm it causes out of the shadows,” and “help individuals and families coping with addiction know they are not alone.”

Five years ago, she launched her patronage of the charity‘s “Taking Action on Addiction” campaign by delivering the keynote speech. Her speech highlighted the importance of tackling the misconceptions about addiction and its roots in early childhood experiences, another one of Kate’s key causes in her royal work.

Thursday’s visit came two days after she dazzled on the red carpet alongside her husband, Prince William, when they joined Tom Cruise, and friends, the Beckhams, for the royal premiere of Cruise’s new movie, Digger.

Princess Kate became a patron of Forward Trust in 2021, after the organization merged with Action on Addiction, which Kate had backed for much of her public life.

“Addiction is not a choice,” said Kate. “No one chooses to become an addict. But it can happen to any one of us. None of us are immune. It is all too rarely discussed as a serious mental health condition and seldom do we take the time to uncover and fully understand its fundamental root causes.”

She said at the time, “The journey towards addiction is often multi-layered and complex. But, by recognizing what lies beneath addiction, we can help remove the taboo and shame that sadly surrounds it.”

“As a society, we need to start from a position of compassion and empathy. Where we nurture those around us, understand their journey, and what has come before them.”