Former Prisoner Recalls Life-Changing Meeting With "Amazing" Princess Kate: "Saw Me as an Equal"

Princess Kate has been heavily involved in charity work during her career, and she's also made an effort to meet people throughout the United Kingdom. Unsurprisingly, the Princess of Wales has had a hugely positive impact on many individuals, including former prisoners and current inmates.

Former prisoner Francesca Fattore, 44, met the Princess of Wales at HMP Send in Surrey, England in 2020. At the time, Fattore had just completed a 12-week rehab program, and she was shocked at the way the royal treated her.

Discussing her meeting with Princess Kate, Fattore told the Express, "Do you know what? The one thing that surprised me about Kate was how she didn't judge—she just didn't care that I was a prisoner." Fattore continued, "The way she was with me, it was just like I was a normal person."

Unfortunately, Fattore hasn't always found people to be as accepting, so Kate's attitude had a lasting impact on the former prisoner. "You have so many people out there judging prisoners and ex-prisoners yet she supports rehabilitation there and I was just shocked that someone like her sat next to me and saw me as equal," Fattore told the outlet.

A former drug dealer whose life was negatively impacted by drugs, Fattore suggested that Princess Kate helped her make positive changes after prison. "I think the main thing that will stay with me...I said to her I was really nervous and I was shaking, literally," Fattore told the outlet. "But she just sat down next to me and I said, 'I am so nervous,' and she said, 'Don’t be silly it is fine.' She just made me feel so relaxed then as well."

Fattore continued, "I said to her that prison was the best thing that happened to me and she said, 'Why do all prisoners say that to me?' She was really shocked that going to prison was the best thing that happened to me."

The former prisoner also referenced Princess Kate's cancer journey, noting that her own mother has been diagnosed with the condition. "If I could give a message to her, it would be to say she is amazing," Fattore said. "I would love to tell her again that I feel so blessed to have met her and it is one of the biggest things that has ever happened to me."

Fattore continued, "She is an inspiration to so many women—she is amazing, genuine, and I think she is an absolutely amazing woman."