William & Kate connect with moms battling addiction

They touched down in Victoria, British Columbia this weekend to a throng of admirers and a lot of fanfare, but the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s itinerary while visiting the Canadian province includes some very meaningful stops.

Kate and William had their kids George, 3, and Charlotte, 1, in tow as they stepped off the plane to meet the waiting crowd – which included Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau. Looking chic as always in a fitted blue dress by her favorite designer Jenny Packham, the Duchess held little Charlotte in her arms and seemed to keep a close eye on her preschooler, too.

The next stop of their week-long visit to B.C. and Yukon – their first official royal tour as a family-of-four – was in Vancouver, where Kate and William arrived via float plane on Sunday without the children. They paid a visit to Sheway, a nonprofit organization that provides assistance to expectant and new mothers who are struggling with substance abuse and mental health issues. Sheway is located in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, a community with high rates of poverty, addiction and mental illness.

Opened in 1993, the Sheway is actually modeled after a similar organization in Scotland that was supported by William’s late mother, Princess Diana.

After listening to some of the mothers at the center share their stories, Kate, who has worked to raise awareness around issues related to mental health, expressed her admiration for them.

“What you’re all carrying as mothers and what you’ve all been through, is a huge, huge burden and just being able to come here and share your stories with us and each other is amazing,” she said. “You’re giving your children an amazing chance by coming here and being able to talk about your stories.”

Photos from their trip so far…

(Tim Rooke/REX/Shutterstock)

(REX/Shutterstock)

(REX/Shutterstock )

(REX/Shutterstock)

Kate and William’s decision to visit the community seems to have made an impression on some of its residents.

“They seemed interested in hearing just about our human experience and our experience with our children,” Allison Wright, a mom-of-two who spoke to the royals at Sheway, later told the media. “Seeing us as humans and not just a problem to be solved.”

A recovering heroin addict, Allison told Kate and William that thanks in large part to the services offered by the nonprofit, she was able to address her substance abuse and regain custody of her two young sons, who were placed in foster care for a period.

“There’s something about being treated like a human first, and an addict second, that helps more than I can tell you,” she explained when William asked how the center had helped her. “Sheway has given me the courage to battle my addiction, my depression that went with it and help me get my kids back. I just wanted to be clean and be able to get my life back too.”

“Well, you’re doing that here, you should be so proud,” Prince William told her.

I’ve been through Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside countless times. It’s not a neighborhood that’s used to a lot of glitz and glamour. It’s a real community that’s facing real and serious problems. I really commend the royals for making a point of visiting the people who live there, and drawing attention to organizations like Sheway that are doing such important work. It means so much more than yet another stroll down a red carpet.

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