Kate has launched a new campaign as part of her lifelong commitment to deepening society’s understanding of the importance of the early years.
Kate also improvised a walkabout, shaking hands with fans and even stopping to take part in a video call with a royal well-wisher.
Kate’s decision to head to Leeds for these conversations finds a connection with an initiative supported more than a decade ago by the late Queen Elizabeth II.
In 2012, the late Queen launched Child Friendly Leeds, an initiative which encourages residents, businesses and institutions to make the city the best place for youngsters to grow up in, with the belief that a similar approach will be beneficial to the community as a whole both from a social and economic point of view.
Leeds City Council, working with partners to deliver enrichment programmes to improve outcomes, has seen a safe reduction in the number of youngsters being taken into care, more teenagers going into education, employment and training, and better school attendance.
Kate visited Leeds this morning (Image: GETTY )
Kate’s visit to Leeds comes amid the launch of Shaping Us (Image: GETTY)
Kate donned a green coat for her visit to Leeds (Image: GETTY)
For her engagement in Leeds, Kate donned a forest green mid-length coat paired with a matching handbag. Below, she wore a beige jumper.
This visit ties in with the launch of Shaping Us, the next step of Kate’s legacy-making work on early childhood development.
The Princess of Wales attended with Prince William the pre-campaign launch on Monday evening at BAFTA, where she spoke of her “long-term” work focus on shining a spotlight on a child’s start in life.
She said: “It is essential, to not only understand the unique importance of our earliest years, but to know what we can all do to help raise future generations of happy, healthy adults.”
A few hours later, the Prince and Princess of Wales’ Twitter account published a 90-second claymation film showing the first five years in the life of Layla.
Kate spoke with locals and business owners at the market (Image: GETTY)
Kate started working on the early years a decade ago (Image: GETTY)
The video places the focus on the importance of the first five years in the life of a child and how fast the brain develops during this timeframe.
The closing message, which is the foundation of Kate’s work on early childhood development, says: “Our early childhood shapes the adults we become.”
The film, to be screened in cinemas across the UK beginning Friday, was followed by the release of another video, this time featuring Kate herself.
Kate released a video message this morning to launch Shaping Us (Image: ROYAL FOUNDATION CENTRE FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD)
A 90-second film was released this morning as part of the launch of Shaping Us (Image: SHAPING US/PRINCE AND PRINCESS OF WALES TWITTER)
Officially launching the Shaping Us campaign, Kate said: “Our early childhood, the time from pregnancy to the age of five, fundamentally shapes the rest of our lives.
“But as a society we currently spend much more of our time and energy on later life.
“Today, the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood is launching a new campaign, Shaping Us, to raise awareness of the life changing impact we can have when we build a supportive, nurturing world around children and those who care for them.
“Because by focusing our collective time, energy and resources on those most preventative years, we can make a huge difference to the physical and mental health and happiness of generations to come.”
Source: EXPRESS CO UK
