Kate visits Southend addiction charity garden and reveals Prince William is 'really passionate' about gardening

From the Newshound archive · first published 24 September 2026 · last updated 25 September 2026.

The Princess of Wales spent Thursday at Garon Park in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, as patron of the Forward Trust, meeting recovering addicts taking part in weekly gardening sessions ahead of Addiction Awareness Week. She helped pot plants without gloves, called outdoor spaces "so vital for healing", and let slip that William is the real gardener in the family. She met recovering alcoholic Steph Sampson, 45, of Leigh-on-Sea, whose daughter Mia, 21, wrote a five-page letter begging her to stop drinking — a turning point that helped Sampson reach six months of sobriety.

Sampson, now a peer mentor at the Forward Trust's Stars service, said Kate was 'very touched' and 'could tell I had come a long way.'

Kate said she does 'a little bit' of gardening herself — but told conservationist Liam King her husband 'knows a lot' and is 'really passionate.'

Sampson told the princess she got 'goose bumps' when her daughter said how proud she was in a birthday card last month.