Kate Middleton.Photo: The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood
The Princess of Wales, 41,released a new videopromoting herShaping Uscampaign on Thursday. Chatting with a group of 4-year-old and 5-year-old students, Kate asked them about the importance of feelings and growing up in a nurturing environment during the visit to St. John’s Church of England Primary School in East London last week. The royal joined the children in watching theclaymation filmat the heart of her new early years campaign while they clutched their favorite stuffed animals.
“So I didn’t bring my teddy, but I brought something else with me,” Kate told the group.
When a child asked what she brought, she said, “I brought a film to watch with you guys.”
After watching the 90-second film, which depicts a little girl called Layla as she grows from an embryo to age 5 and how she responds to the environment around her throughout her development, Princess Kate asked the group questions relating to the short film.
They chatted about the special adults in their life as well as swimming, which Layla does in the film.
“It makes you feel a bit nervous, doesn’t it? But then the feeling afterward — brilliant, isn’t it?” Kate said. “It makes you feel really proud of yourself.”
Kate Middleton at a primary school in East London, January 2023.Kensington Palace
Additional topics included birthday cakes — Kate heard how one boy had a Spider-Man-themed cake (afavorite superheroof Kate andPrince William’s 4-year-old sonPrince Louisas well!) — and ice cream.
“Have any of you dropped an ice cream before like that?” she asked the group, referencing a scene in the film. “I have done too.”
They also talked about the people who have shown them kindness.
“I like my friend, Miley,” one girl shared. “When I cry, she gets a tissue and wipes my tears.”
“That is the kindest friend,” Kate replied.
Princess Kate told the group, “We all have feelings, don’t we? Good feelings and sad feelings, but if we’ve got our friends around us and our family, it makes us feel better, doesn’t it?”
At the end of the meeting, a girl told Kate, “Thank you for being here.”
“Well, thank you for letting me be here and for inviting me here,” Kate said before giving high-fives to all the students.
The week has been a busy one for the royal mom of three as she builds on the work she has done in the field of young child development. In 2021, she launched theCentre for Early Childhoodas part of the Royal Foundation to “raise awareness of why the first five years of life are just so important for our future life outcomes, and what we can do as a society to embrace this golden opportunity to create a happier, more mentally healthy, more nurturing society.”
Since then, she has been steadily growing a team of advisors, building to support Kate and the Centre “as work is accelerated to promote the fundamental importance of the first five years of a child’s life,” according to Palace officials.
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Kate launched the Shaping Us campaign with a landmark speech at BAFTA on Monday.Visiting Leeds on Tuesday, Kate alsolaunched a new Instagram pagefor The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, which has featured several videos of Kate talking about the initiative and the official claymation video.
Kate Middleton.The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood
Those close to the royal say that this ongoing work will define her public duties for decades to come.
“She wants this to be her life’s work. In terms of legacy, she would want in 10 years' time to see a much greater societal change in awareness when it comes to the early years,” a Kensington Palace spokesperson says.
source: people.com
