The Princess of Wales is wearing her dark brown hair in a long plait.

The Princess of Wales wore her brown hair in a long plait for her final engagement in the North of England today. Sweeping her long brown hair back into a neat plait, Catherine was prepared to brace the elements as she went on a wellbeing walk in the Peak District. Earlier she had her long hair down and slightly curled, but as she left Wakefield Trinity Rugby League Club she had switched up her style by plaiting it to the side of her face.

Catherine marked her busy away day by visiting a child trauma centre, where the Princess learned how creative therapies are helping children recover from trauma on the first of three engagements in the North of England today. Catherine showed a young girl how to listen to the sea through a shell and heard how music had helped a boy to process his feelings during her visit to Family Action’s Children’s Trauma Therapy Service in Bradford on Tuesday.

Describing the Family Action charity as a “lifeline” for young people aged 4-18, Catherine heard how it supports children and their families recover from complex trauma. Wearing brown trousers, a dark roll neck jumper and a tweed jacket, the Princess braved the strong winds and heavy rain battering much of the UK for the first of a series of engagements chosen to highlight “the healing power of creativity, community and nature for individuals who have experienced trauma, isolation and poor mental health”.

The Princess of Wales has swept her hair back into a neat plait (Image: PA)

The Princess of Wales during a visit to the charity’s Children’s Trauma Therapy Centre (Image: PA)

She is patron of the award-winning charity that protects children, support young people and adults and offer direct, practical help to families across England, Wales and the Isle of Man. During her visit, she spoke to therapists and joined creative therapy sessions – talking to children about collage trees and wish boxes – to understand how the use of play can be a vehicle for healing.

Catherine, who has focused much of her royal work on early childhood development and mental health support, heard how creative therapies are particularly helpful for children to process complex trauma, such as adversity, abuse and traumatic bereavement.

She told staff at the centre, “It’s probably been a lifeline for them in so many ways and being able to extend that umbilical cord support – the fact that you’re able to continue that relationship with them.”

During her visit, she met a five-year-old girl whose therapist was helping her make a “box of wishes” and showed her how to “listen to the sea” by holding a shell to her ear.

Crouching down to speak to the young girl, Catherine held her hand and complimented her leopard print dress. “I like your dress,” she said. “That’s a pretty dress and your shoes, I have boots like that but they don’t have glitter on sadly. Are they your favourite boots?”

The girl had put a small pot of glitter and water into the box which she called her “potion”. Asked what the potion did, she said, “It keeps away the bad dreams.” Catherine turned to the girl’s mother and said, “Lots of people need more of these.”

The Princess of Wales spoke to therapists at the Family Action charity (Image: PA)

The Princess of Wales also joined creative therapy sessions (Image: PA)

The child had also put a feather in the box- which, her therapist said, was to keep her “busy head” “nice and calm” – as well as two shells.

Catherine said to her: “Sometimes if you put them to your ear, you can sometimes hear the sea, do you want to see if you can hear the sea? Sometimes you can hear the waves. If you listen very quietly. That’s what I like doing with shells. If you close your eyes you can sometimes imagine you’re by the beach.”

Asked if she could hear the waves, the young girl replied: “Yes”.

Describing how the centre had helped her family cope with their trauma, the mother of the young girl said: “You always think when something like that happens, don’t mention it to (the children) but they’re supposed to speak, otherwise they just repress it.”

Princess Kate during a visit to Wakefield Trinity Rugby League club (Image: AP)

Catherine also joined a therapy session for a mother and her 12 year old son who had been colouring in leaves to put on a collage tree, designed to help children illustrate their feelings and discuss their therapy journey.

The boy told the princess how music had helped him process difficult emotions and that he now played drums in a school band because he loves instruments “I can smack”.

Replying, she said: “That’s a fantastic way to sort of express yourself and also manage really difficult and hard feelings that are sometimes harder to express with words than in any other way.”

She asked if he had ever thought he would play in a band. He replied, “No. If you said it to me three years ago, I wouldn’t have believed you because I wouldn’t have thought I had the attention span for it.”

Kate is a patron of Family Action, a national charity which helps children aged four to 18 and their families recover from trauma.