The Princess of Wales has called for change as she sent a poignant message in support of Addiction Awareness Week, pleading for ‘kindness and understanding’ for those struggling
Princess Kate has called for change as she shared a powerful message ahead of Addiction Awareness Week. The Princess of Wales, who is a patron of The Forward Trust – a charity that supports people to recover from addiction and helps them move on in life with family, friends, jobs, homes, and a sense of belonging – wrote the poignant message to bring more awareness to the difficulties of struggling with addiction.
In the letter, Kate expressed her unwavering support for the annual campaign, which she launched in 2021 to encourage open conversations about addiction to shatter stigma of both individuals and families who are, or know someone who is, battling with addictive behaviours.
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Princess Kate wrote: “This Addiction Awareness Week I am, as always, very glad to lend my support to this hugely important campaign. Through my role as Patron of The Forward Trust, it has been humbling to see the significant progress made to better understand addiction and tackle the stigma surrounding it. But there remains much more to do.
“Addiction is not a choice, or a personal failing, but a complex mental health condition that should be met with empathy and support. But still, even now in 2025, people’s experience of addiction is shaped by fear, shame and judgement. This needs to change.
“The stigma surrounding those who face addiction allows it to thrive behind closed doors, impacting families and communities, and ultimately ruining lives. Many of us will know someone who is struggling with an addiction. 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.
“Recovery is hard, but with the right treatment it is possible. And this begins with a conversation, a listening ear and showing we care. So please join the conversation. By talking about it in the open, together we can bring addiction and the harm it causes out of the shadows.
“We can reframe this issue with kindness and understanding, and we can help individuals and families coping with addiction know they are not alone.”
Ahead of Addiction Awareness Week, The Forward Trust released a new poll which reveals that more than half (53 percent) of adults in the UK have experienced or know someone who has lived with drug, alcohol, medication or gambling addiction or dependency, with one in ten personally experiencing addiction themselves.
Kate has been a fierce advocate for ending the stigma around addiction since the very beginning of her royal tenure. One of her first patronages was the charity Action on Addiction, and she has worked with the Forward Trust since 2021.
During a visit to a prison in Surrey in 2023, the Princess of Wales made a similar plea, saying: “Addiction affects people in so many ways beyond that one person who is experiencing it themselves – be they parents, children, siblings, friends or neighbours. By understanding their experiences, and starting from a position of compassion and empathy, we can help to break the cycle.
“Addiction is not a choice. It is a serious mental health condition. And with the right support delivered by wonderful charities like The Forward Trust, recovery is possible.”
