The Princess of Wales has seen the work going on to help children being raised in one of the most challenging of all environments, a prison.

The Princess visited the mother and baby unit at HMP Styal in Cheshire to see the support available inside a jail for parents and their children.

The unit is run by Action for Children to provide help to expectant mums and new mums who are serving prison sentences.

The Princess of Wales was shown the ways that women and their babies are supported in this environment to give children the best start they can have and to help stop women reoffending on release.

Catherine entered the prison through the security gate – HMP Styal houses around 400 women, some of them serving life sentences.

During her visit, the Princess of Wales spent time at a nursery where babies born inside the prison will spend their first months.

The project being run there aims to ensure that these children can develop strong relationships with their mothers despite the challenges of the place in which they’ve been born and are growing up.

The Princess also met specialist staff involved in the support and some of the women they are helping.

This is the fourth time the Princess of Wales has visited a prison. Her latest visit is part of her work in early years and her Shaping Us initiative.