The Princess of Wales shared how she found a 'healing' connection with nature during an under-the-radar visit to a Kew-based charity. Kate spoke about her experiences as she chatted to those from Dose of Nature, a charity that helps improve wellbeing through a combination of clinical psychology and connection with the natural world.
The princess has long been interested in how nature can support healthier, happier lives and previously said she used the natural world as a sanctuary during her recovery from cancer.
Visit to Dose of Nature
In a new video and pictures released by Kensington Palace, Kate met those involved with the charity last month, including its founder Dr Alison Green and clinical lead Dr Georgina Gould, to learn more about the organisation's approach to mental health support.
During her visit, the princess dressed casually in jeans and a Barbour jacket and chatted to Tom, a former participant in the programme who now works for the charity and volunteers as a Nature Guide himself. He told Kate about the role Dose of Nature had played in his own recovery, helping him build confidence, resilience and a stronger sense of connection to the natural world.
'Healing' words shared
In turn, she told him: "Our journey has been very very different, but it's so wonderful to hear how your nature connection and how it's been so healing for you, and I felt the same.
"The fact that you're able to provide that to so many other people in this community; that sense of purpose and meaning, and belonging, through that experience, I think is something that has got the longevity and the sustainability of feeling like, almost without knowing what's to come, without having the control in your life of knowing what the future might hold, the fact that you feel that you can cope with things, because you feel that interconnection, I think that makes it holistic in a very true essence."
She also dropped in on the charity's weekly 'Art in Nature' session, where participants use the natural environment for inspiration.
Charity's work and impact
Founded in 2018, Dose of Nature works with NHS and GP referrals to support those experiencing a range of mental health challenges through its clinically led 'Nature Prescription' programme. The charity uses nature as a tool for wellbeing, combining a psychology-led approach, one-to-one guidance from volunteer Nature Guides and nature immersion to help people reconnect with nature, improve their wellbeing and build lasting resilience.
Last year alone, the charity delivered 547 Nature Prescriptions through its hubs in the Boroughs of Richmond and Guildford, supporting people experiencing a wide range of mental health challenges.
The princess has long championed the benefits of experiencing nature, especially during her cancer journey, and wrote in a recent essay: "By spending time in nature or being creative, we can nurture the very skills and emotions that cannot be digitised: awareness, empathy, humility, and above all, love."
