Kate Middleton and Princess Anne.Photo: Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Kate MiddletonandPrincess Annejoined forces to highlight organizations dedicated to improving maternal healthcare.
The royal duo took part in their first-ever joint outing on Wednesday with a visit to the London headquarters of the Royal College of Midwives and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists — of which Anne and Kate are respective patrons.
During their visit, Kate, a mother of three, and Anne, a mother of two, heard about the ways in which the RCM and RCOG are working together to improve maternal healthcare, ensuring women are receiving the safest and best care possible at one of the most significant times in their lives.
Kate Middleton and Princess Anne.Chris Jackson/Getty Images
In a roundtable meeting, the two princesses took part in a discussion with experts and new moms about the measures being taken to tackle inequalities in maternity care. And they were shown some of the pioneering work being done to improve essential gynecological skills at a local level and worldwide.
“What struck me was the way their Royal Highnesses were both interested and very curious about what we were doing and asked very personal questions — very much about looking after future generations and looking after mothers of today for the benefit of women and children of tomorrow,” Dr. Edward Morris, President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, tells PEOPLE.
Kate Middleton and Princess Anne.Richard Pohle - WPA Pool/Getty
“I don’t think you needed for them to be mums to benefit from today,” Morris says. “But I’m sure having been mums and brought up children at very different times gave them a lot of ability and internal knowledge to ask questions that really helped the conversations to flourish and impart some of their feedback to things we might benefit from. For example, the Princess Royal was very interested in our work in Ukraine — clearly based on her experience with charities like Save the Children. It was wonderful to hear them talking from some of their own experiences as much as the keenness and very clear thirst to learn what the two colleges are doing.”
Adds Gill Walton, CEO of the Royal College of Midwives: “The Duchess of Cambridge has a lot of interest in mental health and early years and we’ve been doing collaborative projects around that. The Princess Royal is really knowledgable about all aspects of midwifery and maternity care.”
In 2020, Kate got personal about her experiences during childbirth, revealing that she turned to “hypnobirthing” for all three of her deliveries. While battlinghyperemesis gravidarum, a severe form of morning sickness she had during each pregnancy, Kate says she took it upon herself to learn about the birthing method.
Kate welcomed sonPrince Georgeon July 22, 2013. His sisterPrincess Charlottefollowed on May 2, 2015. Younger brotherPrince Louiswas born on April 23, 2018. The royal mom had all three of her children in the Lindo Wing at St. Mary’s Hospital in London.
Kate Middleton.Chris Jackson/Getty Images
As she’s learned more through her research and in teaming up with various charities and organizations, she’s come to realize that she would have done things differently during her own pregnancies.
“I feel huge responsibility because what I’ve learned over the last few years is so fascinating and I definitely would have done things differently, even during my pregnancy, than I would have done now,” she revealed during the podcast interview.
During their visit on Wednesday, Kate and Anne also met with representatives from Tommy’s National Centre for Maternity Improvement to learn about the digital tools that are being developed to identify and support women with high-risk pregnancies.
And they were introduced to key health teams of the Avoiding Brain Injury in Childbirth (ABC) collaboration focusing on the safety of fetal wellbeing during labor, and the way in which the experiences of mothers and clinical staff alike are informing this approach.
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Princess Anne and Kate Middleton.Richard Pohle - WPA Pool/Getty
Every year, the Royal College of Midwives celebrates and rewards outstanding achievement and commitment with the RCM Awards, and the royal women congratulated recent recipients on their inspiring work.
“They were really happy to meet us. And Anne asked if the flowers smelled good,” 9-year-old Shia tells PEOPLE, adding, “It was really nerve-wracking, but when they came we just felt really happy. We were telling each other to smile the whole time.”
source: people.com
