A former prisoner says Kate Middleton changed her life thanks to what she did behind bars.
Francesca Fattore, 44, met the Princess of Wales at HMP Send in Surrey following her successful participation in a 12-week rehab programme back in 2020. Having turned her life around, Fattore reflected on her royal meeting, saying: “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.”
She expressed heartfelt surprise at Kate Middleton’s non-judgmental approach, saying: “The way she was with me, it was just like I was a normal person. 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.”
Coming from Reading where she had a loving family, Francesca faced drug-related challenges from her teenage years, spiralling into heroin and crack addiction before beginning to deal drugs herself. Her criminal actions in pursuit of free drugs led to incarceration for drug offences, sharing space with some of the UK’s most notorious female inmates within HMP Bronzefield.
The visit from the Princess during her time in HMP Send, however, stood out as a beacon of positivity. Francesca continued: “I think the main thing that will stay with me… I said to her I was really nervous and I was shaking, literally.
“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.
“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.”
Francesca, who has since become a content creator and established UkExFemalePrisoner – a platform offering support and opportunities for former female offenders – still holds dear the conversation she had with Kate.
It’s a moment that has significantly influenced her path forward, especially as she admires how Kate has faced her cancer journey with immense courage and grace.
With her own mother fighting the illness, Francesca speaks highly of the royal, saying: “If I could give a message to her, it would be to say she is amazing.
“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.
“She is an inspiration to so many women – she is amazing, genuine and I think she is an absolutely amazing woman.”