A longtime advocate for mental health awareness, Kate Middleton has penned a special letter in honor of Addiction Awareness Week, asking for compassion and openness toward addicts and the people caring for them. The Princess of Wales acknowledged in the message, published Monday, that some progress has been made but stressed that stigma continues to prevent people from seeking help.
“Addiction is not a choice, or a personal failing, but a complex mental health condition that should be met with empathy and support,” Kate wrote in the message shared through the Forward Trust, a charity for which she serves as royal patron. “But still, even now in 2025, people’s experience of addiction is shaped by fear, shame and judgement. This needs to change.”
The British charity released new survey data indicating that 53% of adults in the UK have experienced addiction themselves or know someone who has. One in 10 said they have personally faced addiction. Many respondents reported discomfort discussing the issue with employers, doctors or even close family members.
Kate said stigma keeps addiction “behind closed doors,” harming families and communities. “Many of us will know someone who is struggling with an addiction,” she said. “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.”
The Princess has been very vocal on the issue in years past. In 2022, Kate appeared in a campaign video for the Forward Trust during Addiction Awareness Week. Much of her work has been aimed at a greater understanding of mental health challenges and how these can be linked to the earliest years of a person’s life.
Rachel King (she/her) is a news writer at Town & Country. Before joining T&C, she spent nearly a decade as an editor at Fortune. Her work covering travel and lifestyle has appeared in Forbes, Observer, Robb Report, Cruise Critic, and Cool Hunting, among others. Originally from San Francisco, she lives in New York with her wife, their daughter, and a precocious labradoodle. Follow her on Instagram at .
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