Kate Middleton’s Mysterious Injury Sparks Kensington Palace Statement

Kate Middleton may be a British royal, but her duty as mom to Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis comes first. As the Princess of Wales stepped out visit at HMP High Down, a men’s prison in Surrey, England, last month, she raised plenty of eyebrows when she paired her glamorous look with a bandaged hand, an injury that was apparently the result of some playtime mishaps with her and Prince William’s kids.

During her outing, the 41-year-old mom of three looked stunning as usual in a navy blue pantsuit, which she paired with a white top, loose hair, and jewelry, including a gold necklace that had the initials of her three children. Royal watchers also noticed that the princess was sporting a mysterious hand injury, with a bandage wrapped around two fingers. It turned out, Middleton was bouncing back from a minor trampoline injury, a Kensington Palace spokesperson telling PEOPLE in a statement that it was “a small injury, nothing serious.” The spokesperson did not offer further details.

The trampoline is known to be a favorite among the Wales children, with Middleton earlier this year revealing her kids can often be found on it when asked how she manages to “squeeze in exercise” with her busy schedule. At a reception for the England Wheelchair Rugby League squad in Hampton Court Palace in January, Middleton shared, per the Daily Mirror, “it’s running around after the children – I do it all, whenever I can squeeze in exercise I do, even jumping on the trampoline with my children before school.”

Thankfully, the September minor injury didn’t stop Middleton from carrying out her royal duties as patron of The Forward Trust before Addiction Awareness Week in the U.K. The royal became patron of the organization, which offers services to help people “break the cycles of addiction or crime,” in June 2021. During her visit to the Category C prison, Middleton shadowed a family during a normal visit, according to the Independent, beginning with the security procedures that must be followed before visitors are allowed to enter the institution. The princess couldn’t help but crack a smile as a drug-detection dog sniffed at her. Once inside the prison, Middleton learned about the recent efforts HMP High Down has enacted to ensure the security process is more positive for children and also spoke with inmates working with The Forward Trust, who shared their experiences and opened up about the support they are receiving from the charity and prison.

The outing marked one of Middleton’s first royal engagements since summer break ended and her children headed back to school. It also came just days after she and her husband, Prince William, as well as Princess Anne, appeared on Saturday’s episode of Mike Tindall, James Haskell, and Alex Payne’s podcast The Good, The Bad & The Rugby.