On October 15, Princess Kate, the Princess of Wales, issued a heartfelt message on social media to support families dealing with the loss of a child. Baby Loss Awareness Week is observed in the U.K. from October 9 to 15, and Princess Kate highlighted the “wave of light” event taking place that evening.
“Baby Loss Awareness Week is such an important moment to support those who have experienced the devastation of baby loss,” Princess Kate wrote on the X account she shares with Prince William. “Sending love, strength, and hope to anyone affected,” she added, including the hashtag “#WaveofLight.”
The post was signed “C,” indicating that it was personally written by her rather than by her communications team.
Baby Loss Awareness Week originated as Baby Loss Awareness Day in the U.K. in 2002. A group of parents inspired by the U.S. Pregnancy & Infant Loss Remembrance Day on October 15 initiated it. The week now aims to support bereaved families, raise awareness about pregnancy and baby loss, and promote better care for those affected.
Accompanying her message was a photo of a glowing candle from the British brand Plum & Ashby. The candle jar featured a Wave of Light label, tying into her post’s theme. The week concludes with a global “Wave of Light,” inviting people to light a candle at 7 p.m. local time and keep it burning for at least an hour in memory of lost babies.
Princess Kate has dedicated much of her royal work to issues related to babies, children, and mothers. In 2020, she visited the Institute of Reproductive and Development Biology at Imperial College London during Baby Loss Awareness Week to learn about research on pregnancy loss and premature births.
Princess Kate and Prince William are parents to Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6. They have previously expressed support on social media for Baby Loss Awareness Week.
The royal family, like many others, has experienced the pain of baby loss. Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, suffered an ectopic pregnancy in 2001. Zara Tindall revealed in 2018 that she had a miscarriage before the birth of her second child, Lena. Meghan Markle also shared in November 2020 that she experienced a miscarriage the previous summer, about a year after the birth of her son, Prince Archie.
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