The Princess of Wales has issued a powerful and emotional plea for greater compassion and understanding towards those battling addiction, marking the start of Addiction Awareness Week.
A Heartfelt Call for Change
In a poignant written message, Princess Kate, who serves as patron of the charity The Forward Trust, emphasised that addiction is a serious mental health condition, not a personal failing. She stressed the urgent need to replace the fear, shame, and judgement often experienced by sufferers with empathy and support.
"Addiction is not a choice, or a personal failing, but a complex mental health condition that should be met with empathy and support," the Princess wrote. She lamented that even in 2025, stigma continues to shape people's experiences, allowing addiction to "thrive behind closed doors, impacting families and communities, and ultimately ruining lives."
The Stigma Must End
Princess Kate's advocacy for this cause is long-standing. She launched this annual campaign in 2021 to encourage open conversations and shatter the stigma surrounding addiction, which affects not only individuals but also their families and friends.
Her message comes as The Forward Trust released a new poll revealing the scale of the issue in the UK. The data shows that more than half (53%) of UK adults have either personally experienced or know someone who has lived with a drug, alcohol, medication, or gambling addiction. One in ten adults has faced addiction themselves.
"Now is the moment to show our compassion and love to help them, or their friends and family, to reach out to organisations like The Forward Trust for support," she urged.
A Sustained Royal Commitment
This is not the first time the Princess has spoken out on this critical issue. During a visit to a Surrey prison in 2023, she made a similar appeal, highlighting how addiction affects entire networks of people, from parents and children to friends and neighbours.
She stated then: "By understanding their experiences, and starting from a position of compassion and empathy, we can help to break the cycle."
Princess Kate has been a fierce advocate for ending addiction stigma since the beginning of her royal tenure. One of her first patronages was the charity Action on Addiction, and she has worked closely with The Forward Trust since 2021.
She concluded her powerful message with a call to action for the public: "Recovery is hard, but with the right treatment it is possible. And this begins with a conversation, a listening ear and showing we care."
