Halloween is the first day of Britain’s Addiction Awareness Week, and surprise surprise, the Princess of Wales was actually prepared for it. In years past, Kate half-asses her “support” of these kinds of dedicated awareness weeks. Kate was the patron of Action on Addiction, but it merged with the Forward Trust last year. Even with the name change, Kate barely does anything more than an occasional video or a visit once a decade. Considering Addiction Awareness Week comes right after Kate and William’s two-week no-work holiday, I’m shocked that Kensington Palace staff even convinced her to do this video. She posted it on social media, and the Forward Trust also posted it online.

Some of what she says in the video:

As patron of The Forward Trust, the Princess of Wales shared a video for the “Taking Action on Addiction” campaign, launching for the second year on the first day of Addiction Awareness Week on Sunday.

“Addiction is a serious mental health condition that can happen to anyone, no matter what age, gender, race or nationality,” Kate, 40, said. “As Patron of The Forward Trust, I have met many people who have suffered from the effects of addiction. Attitudes to addiction are changing. But we are not there yet, and we need to be. Still the shame of addiction is stopping people and families asking for help and people are still tragically losing their lives. We as a society need to recognize that the only way to help those suffering is to try and understand what has led them to addiction, to empathize with them and to be compassionate to their struggles.”

“Please know that addiction is not a choice. No one chooses to become an addict. I want you to know that this is also a serious health condition. Please do not let shame hold you back from getting the help you so desperately need. The charities leading the Taking Action on Addiction Campaign, along with others, are working across the country delivering life-changing work to help people recover and move forward. They are here for you. So please ask for help,” she continued. “I know this was not a choice. Recovery is possible.”

[From People]

Sure. She made similar sentiments last year for the same awareness week. While I believe in everything she’s saying – and addiction truly ravages families and communities – I also feel like it’s fair game to critique her lack of substantive engagement with one of her biggest patronages? Remember when she took a virtual Zoom tour of Clouds House, a rehab center, in 2020? They people who operate the center even pointed out that she hadn’t been there since 2012. She still hasn’t visited it in person in ten years.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, screencaps from video.