Patronages Catherine has been involved in charitable work since before her marriage and continues to support a wide range of causes. In 2007, she curated a photography exhibition to mark the launch of
Time to Reflect by
Alistair Morrison, raising funds for
UNICEF. In 2008, she visited
Naomi House Children's Hospice, spending time with children and staff. Later that year, she organised a 1980s-themed
roller disco fundraiser that raised £100,000, divided between
Oxford Children's Hospital and the mental-health charity Place2Be. While working for her parents' company, she organised events for the
Starlight Children's Foundation, which supports seriously ill young people, and helped coordinate the
Boodles Boxing Ball, which raised funds for the charity. , March 2018|alt=Catherine and William talking to people over lunch Following her marriage, Catherine assumed royal duties in support of the British monarch. In March 2011, she and William established a gift fund through The Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry, enabling well‑wishers to donate to 26 selected charities in lieu of wedding gifts. The foundation was renamed in June 2012 to reflect Catherine's involvement, and became
The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales in September 2022. Catherine's charitable work focuses primarily on early childhood, mental health, sport, addiction, and the arts. She holds a number of patronages. Drawing on her background in art history, she selected The Art Rooman organisation that provided
art therapy for disadvantaged children before its closureas one of her early patronages, and also became patron of the
National Portrait Gallery. She later assumed patronage of the
Lawn Tennis Association, the
All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club,
Action for Children, and the
Royal Photographic Society following their transfer from Queen Elizabeth II. In 2018, she became the first royal patron of the
Victoria and Albert Museum and curated a small display for it in July 2025. She became patron of the
Foundling Museum which commemorates the
Foundling Hospital, in 2019. Catherine also served as a local volunteer leader with
The Scout Association in north Wales, before being appointed co-president in September 2020 alongside the
Duke of Kent.
Sport at the
2022 Wimbledon Championships|alt=Catherine congratulating a female tennis player Catherine is a keen sportswoman and attends
Wimbledon annually. She has been patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club since 2016. An enthusiastic sailor, she has occasionally taken part in charity
sailing events to raise funds for various causes. In 2012, she, William and his brother
Harry, launched Coach Core, a programme established after the
2012 Olympics to provide apprenticeships for young people aspiring to careers in sports coaching. In 2014, she and William were awarded Honorary Life Membership of the
Marylebone Cricket Club. In July 2019, she supported Backyard Nature, a campaign encouraging children, families, and communities to engage with the natural world. In February 2022, she became patron of the
Rugby Football Union and the
Rugby Football League, roles previously held by Harry.
Military and armed forces In 2014, Catherine wrote the foreword for
Living in the Slipstream: Life as an RAF Wife, with proceeds supporting charity. In December 2015, she assumed patronage of the
Royal Air Force Air Cadets, following the
Duke of Edinburgh's 63‑year tenure. The handover took place during an audience at Buckingham Palace. She has since visited their base in
Cambridgeshire and marked their 75th anniversary in 2016. In October 2022, she became patron of
Preet Chandi, a British Army medical officer undertaking a 1,000‑mile solo expedition to the South Pole after completing a 700‑mile journey earlier that year.
Health and medical initiatives As patron of
Action on Addiction, Catherine has made visits to its centres, spending time with individuals in recovery. In October 2012, she helped launch the M‑PACT programme (Moving Parents and Children Together), one of the few UK initiatives addressing the impact of
parental addiction on families. In June 2021, she became patron of
The Forward Trust following its merger with Action on Addiction, and subsequently launched the "Taking Action on Addiction". In January 2018, locks of Catherine's hair were reportedly donated anonymously to the Little Princess Trust, which provides wigs for children with cancer. The following month, she became patron of the
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. She also launched Nursing Now, a three-year global campaign to raise the profile of nursing. Catherine has written about her family's nursing heritage: her grandmother,
Valerie Middleton, and great-grandmother,
Olive Middleton, both served as
VAD nurses with the
British Red Cross. During the
COVID-19 pandemic, she undertook numerous in-person and virtual engagements supporting
National Health Service workers Catherine has worked extensively in children's
palliative care through her patronage of East Anglia's Children's Hospices. and has taken official portraits of her children and other members of the royal family. In 2019, she supported workshops run by the Royal Photographic Society and Action for Children, highlighting photography's role in helping young people express their thoughts and experiences. As patron of the Royal Photographic Society, she contributed to an exhibition marking 75 years since the end of the Holocaust. Her portraits of Holocaust survivors were later displayed at the
Imperial War Museum. She curated an exhibition of Victorian photography at the National Portrait Gallery with a thematic focus on childhood. In May 2020, she launched "Hold Still", a project documenting life during the
COVID-19 lockdown, which received 31,000 submissions. In October, selected portraits were displayed across 112 public sites in 80 towns and cities. The images were later published in the book
Hold Still: A Portrait of Our Nation in 2020, with a foreword written by Catherine, on 7 May 2021.
Community causes Since December 2021, Catherine has hosted the annual
Together at Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey, with each year's event centred on a different theme. In March 2022, during the
Russian invasion of Ukraine, she and William made a donation to support refugees. They donated again in February 2023 to the
Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) following the
2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake, and in July 2024 to support communities affected by
Hurricane Beryl.
Environmental causes Catherine has emphasised the importance of environmental sustainability and the benefits of spending time in nature. She has been credited with raising national awareness of children's mental health; Benita Refson, president of Place2Be, said she would "shine the spotlight on child mental health", while
Peter Fonagy, CEO of the
Anna Freud Centre, described her as one of the most important figures in the field and stated that "to the millions of children who have been suffering in silence, she is their voice". In recognition of their work with charities focused on children's mental health, Catherine and William received the Gold
Blue Peter badge, an award previously granted to Queen Elizabeth II. To encourage people to speak openly about mental health, Catherine, William, and Harry launched the
Heads Together campaign in April 2016. She later spoke publicly about her own experiences of motherhood, noting periods of "lack of confidence" and "feelings of ignorance". Catherine has discussed her experiences of "mum guilt" in balancing work and family life, and described bringing her newborn home from hospital for the first time as "terrifying". She has highlighted the importance of "a happy home" and "a safe environment" for children, and has spoken of her "passion" for the outdoors as a foundation for childhood wellbeing and development. She launched the
Mentally Healthy Schools website, which provides resources for staff and pupils to support mental health. After two years, the site had been accessed by more than 250,000 visitors. Catherine also guest-edited
HuffPost UK to raise awareness for children's mental health issues. In 2019, Catherine worked with the Royal Horticultural Society as one of the co‑designers of a garden display at the Chelsea Flower Show. In May that year, as part of the
Heads Together initiative, Catherine, William, and other members of the family launched
Shout, a text‑messaging service for people experiencing mental‑health difficulties. In March 2020, she and William supported a new mental‑health initiative by Public Health England during the
COVID-19 pandemic. In April 2020, they announced
Our Frontline, which provides mental‑health support for emergency and frontline workers. Catherine made a surprise appearance on
CBeebies Bedtime Stories in February 2022, reading
The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark by Jill Tomlinson to mark the end of Children's Mental Health Week. In May that year, she became patron of the Maternal Mental Health Alliance. In October, to mark World Mental Health Day, she and William presented a special edition of
Newsbeat, interviewing four guests on mental‑health topics. The following year, they took part in a youth forum in Birmingham,
Exploring our Emotional Worlds, alongside BBC Radio 1 and The Mix, continuing their longstanding work on mental wellbeing. In December 2024, they announced joint funding for a pilot scheme with Norfolk and Waveney Mind to support rural and farming communities on the
Sandringham estate.
The Daily Telegraph described it as "one of her most personally creative projects to date".
Early years and childhood development at Connor Downs Academy, Cornwall, June 2021|alt=Catherine and Jill Biden engage with school children at a table while wearing masks During the initial years of her charity work, Catherine became interested in the connection between the first five years of childhood and later outcomes such as homelessness, mental illness, and addiction. In March 2018, she hosted a symposium with the
Royal Society of Medicine on children's health and launched the Early Years Intervention Support initiative. In May that year, she established the Early Years Steering Group. In January 2020, Catherine launched ''5 Big Questions on the Under 5's'', a nationwide survey on
early childhood development. The survey was conducted by
Ipsos MORI and included "further qualitative and ethnographic research" on the early years. It received more than 500,000 responses. The results were released in November 2020, outlining five key themes in
early childhood, including parental mental health and wider community support. In July 2020, she supported the development of the BBC's
Tiny Happy People initiative, which provides free digital resources for parents with young children. In August 2020, she led a donation drive to support baby banks nationwide, generating more than 10,000 donations. In June 2021, Catherine launched the
Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood to coordinate research, campaigns, and partnerships on early‑years issues. In February 2022, Catherine visited Denmark on behalf of the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood. In June that year, she hosted her first roundtable discussion with politicians on early‑childhood development. In January 2023, she launched the
Shaping Us initiative through the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, a long‑term campaign aimed at raising awareness of early‑childhood development and its importance. In November that year, she delivered the keynote speech at the
Shaping Us National Symposium at the Design Museum in London. In October 2025, Catherine co‑authored an essay with Professor
Robert J. Waldinger of
Harvard Medical School, encouraging parents to limit children's screen time to support early‑childhood relationships. ==Public image==