Trampolines are the curse of the middle-class mum, writes mother-of-two ELEANOR MILLS after Princess Kate injures herself bouncing with her three children

That the Princess of Wales sustained an injury by bouncing on a trampoline with her three young children came as no surprise to anyone in my family.

In theory, trampolines are a dream: Fun, great exercise, the ideal way to get the kids off the sofa (and the iPad) and out from under parental feet. They have become a ubiquitous, middle-class staple.

As I said – in theory! In reality, trampolines are high risk. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents estimates that 11,500 hospital admissions a year relate to trampolines and 80 per cent of those are caused by more than one person bouncing at the same time.

We had a trampoline when my two daughters were young; I’ll never forget the sound of skull clonking skull, usually when bigger kids bounced and threw littler ones high into the air. Or when they lost control and slammed into each other.

Sadly, the idea that your children will run off to bounce by themselves is a bit of a myth. Mine would always want me to join in; not always advisable with a post-birth pelvic floor. They would whoop with delight as I sent them careering into the air, while I was terrified they’d get hurt.

At one point, however, I rather fancied my skills, so when my little one begged to go to London‘s Oxygen Freejumping park (trampolines, foam pits, soft play and more), I said I would do it with her. My qualms began during the terrifying safety video. Our group was forced to watch as stick figures broke their legs.

However, we set off enthusiastically, but two trampolines in there was a bit where you were expected to trampoline while clonking your companion with a big sponge stick until one of you got knocked into a pit of sponge balls. I went in head first, scrambled to get out and dislocated my knee. The pain was excruciating; I had to be extracted by a helpful supervisor and spent the rest of the day in A&E.

So trampolines; the curse of the middle classes. Kate got off lightly by just requiring finger strapping. Seriously. Give it a miss!

Prisoner Cell Block HRH: First visit to men’s jail for injured Kate

By Rebecca English Royal Editor

The Princess of Wales was yesterday searched by a sniffer dog on her first visit to a men’s prison.

Fortunately, she was only a guest at HMP High Down, where she met prisoners overcoming drug and alcohol addiction.

Kate, 41, was also keen to learn what it is like for visiting relatives and insisted on going through standard security procedures.

She was asked to sit with her hands on her knees as a labrador called Penny searched her. Penny, one of a team which screens 2,000 visitors a month at the Surrey jail, has been taught to stand still if she detects illegal substances.

The princess said: ‘Amazing. It’s incredible. They are very calm.’

During the visit Kate, wearing a navy Alexander McQueen trouser suit and a £1,300 personalised Daniella Draper necklace bearing her children’s initials, was seen with heavy strapping on the index and middle finger on her right hand.

‘My own fault. I was jumping around on the trampoline,’ she said. ‘I did put it on just to keep it safe.’ She has previously spoken of how her children have a trampoline in their garden and love bouncing on it after school.

Kensington Palace said it was ‘a small injury, nothing serious’.

Kate also sported a new hairstyle with long, graduated ‘bangs’ and blonde highlights.

She was visiting the prison as patron of The Forward Trust, which works with those suffering from addiction and mental health issues, ahead of Addiction Awareness Week, which takes place next month.