Kate Middleton’s ‘astute and engaging questions’ at mental health charity impress royal fans

Kate Middleton met with the team of Shout, the text support service she co-founded, on Wednesday

Kate Middleton
(Image credit: Getty)

Kate Middleton has been praised by royal fans for her engaging attitude during a recent visit to a mental health charity. 


Kate Middleton has been praised by royal fans during a recent engagement at a mental health charity for doing what she does best—listening. 

The Duchess of Cambridge stopped by Shout 85258 on Wednesday, to congratulate its team on reaching a pivotal milestone and to spend time learning about the ins and outs of the lifesaving service. 

The 24/7 text helpline was established by Kate and her husband, Prince William, along with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, in 2019 to provide emergency support to those in crisis. In January 2022, Shout announced it had conducted over one million conversations with people in distress. 

Kate paid a visit to its Central London headquarters yesterday to meet its committed staff and to commend them for their incredible philanthropy over the past two and a half years. 

Kate Middleton

Kate Middleton is given a tour of the Shout offices in Central London 

(Image credit: Getty)

The 40-year-old was introduced to clinical workers, volunteers, and fundraisers during the engagement, many of whom shared with the Duchess their personal experiences of working for the nonprofit. Kate was also given a tour of the offices and a live demonstration of the service in action. 

Wearing a Derek Lam 10 Crosby long-sleeved olive green dress and black knee-high boots, the mother-of-three listened intently as staff explained how the day-to-day operation of the helpline works. 

She was particularly interested to hear the story of Kent schoolboy Leo Street, who has raised a whopping £8,000 for the charity by sleeping outside for 365 nights. Kate appeared visibly astonished when the 13-year-old revealed his mammoth feat, gasping, "No way! I could not believe that." 

Kate Middleton

Kate Middleton speaking to Leo Street about his incredible fundraising efforts for Shout 

(Image credit: Getty)

"Rain, shine, sleet, snow..." she said. "It snowed last year! And this wasn't in a tent?" 

"It was in a hammock," the adorable teen explained. 

"There really isn’t a big enough Scout badge for that," Kate said. "What you achieved is really inspiring. You must have had some impressive kit to keep warm." 

Kate was strongly praised online for her conduct during the visit, with many royal fans complimenting her effortless listening skills. 

"What I wish people could know, is how genuinely concerned and interested in the issues both the Duke and Duchess are. She always asks very astute and engaged questions," one person on Instagram wrote. 

"Kate makes everyone happy… she really cares! Wonderful!" another fan commented on the video of the engagement posted on the Royal Family Youtube channel. 

Emma Dooney
Lifestyle News Writer

Hailing from the lovely city of Dublin, Emma mainly covers the Royal Family and the entertainment world, as well as the occasional health and wellness feature. Always up for a good conversation, she has a passion for interviewing everyone from A-list celebrities to the local GP - or just about anyone who will chat to her, really.

Emma holds an MA in International Journalism from City, University of London, and a BA in English Literature from Trinity College Dublin.