Princess of Wales cradles premature baby on visit to maternity unit

She met staff members who help women affected by mental health issues

Kate, Princess of Wales, cradles baby Bianca during a visit to the Royal Surrey County Hospital's maternity unit in Guilford, England. AP

The Princess of Wales arrives at the maternity unit. Getty Images

Kate met members of the Jasmine Team, a department that helps women affected by mental health issues during pregnancy and the postnatal period. Reuters

It was Kate's first major solo engagement since becoming the Princess of Wales, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II last month. PA

Kate, Princess of Wales, visited a maternity unit in the UK on Wednesday, holding a premature baby in her arms.

She toured the Royal Surrey County Hospital’s mother and baby ward, where she met members of the Jasmine Team, a department that helps women affected by mental health issues during pregnancy and the postnatal period.

The mother of three, who recently became patron of the Maternal Mental Health Alliance, met a woman being supported by the team as well as a family who were being helped to bond with their premature baby.

During her tour, the princess held Bianca Moran, who was born six weeks premature on Tuesday.

Bianca’s mother, Szilvia Novak, 43, originally from Budapest in Hungary, asked the princess if she would like to hold the baby while the pair were talking in the hospital’s Special Baby Care Unit.

The Princess of Wales replied: “Am I allowed to?” before a member of staff helped Ms Novak pass the baby to her.

As she cradled Bianca in her arms, the princess said: “She’s very sweet.”

The hospital’s special care baby unit is one of only a few of its kind nationally that offers round-the-clock cot-side sleeping facilities, allowing mothers to remain close to their babies.

Staff in the unit encourage parents to take part in the care of their premature babies as much as possible, including bathing, feeding and nappy-changing.

It was Kate’s first major solo engagement since becoming the Princess of Wales, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II last month.

The NHS maternity unit delivers and cares for about 3,000 babies each year.

It received a Unicef-World Health Organisation Baby-Friendly Initiative Gold award in 2022 for its outstanding work in infant-feeding and parent-child relationships.

The princess gave birth to all three of her children — Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis — at the private Lindo Wing at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London.

The visit is one of a series Kate and her husband Prince William will carry out this week.