The Princess of Wales has visited a prison's mother and baby unit run by a charity she supports as royal patron.

Catherine visited HMP Styal, in Wilmslow, on Tuesday 11 February where she was shown a project designed to develop strong and healthy relationships between mothers and babies "even in the most challenging of environments".

During her visit, she met specialist staff supporting new mothers and visited a nursery for babies who will have to spend their first formative months inside a prison.

The princess met women being supported by the Action for Children charity, which runs mother and baby units in three prisons in the north of England.

Princess of Wales met with women prisoners to talk about the stigma attached to having a baby in prison (Credit:The Prince and Princess of Wales X).

Former inmates talked with the princess about the stigma attached to having a baby in prison and about the importance of "attachment and bonding".

This visit comes after last years warnings about safety from women who had been inmates at the prison.

The prison hopes that helping new mothers build a strong connection with their newborns while in jail will reduce the risk of reoffending when inmates are released.

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The unit at HMP Styal provides a separate area for new and expectant mothers that tries to create a different atmosphere to regular prison life.

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