Kate Middleton has pledged to provide parents with the “very best information and support” needed to raise their children. At an event staged on the eve of her early years campaign launch, The Princess of Wales - joined by Prince William - spoke about the “critical importance” of the first five years of a child’s life and its influence on their future.
Kate's Shaping Us campaign aims to improve society’s understanding of the significance of early childhood in shaping adulthood and society as a whole. The initiative will be launched on Tuesday (January 31) by the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, and the princess hopes it will influence attitudes towards children in the early years of their lives.
Kate was joined by husband William and a host of celebrity supporters at the evening event staged at Bafta’s London HQ, with former Saturdays singer Rochelle Humes, rapper Professor Green, presenter Fearne Cotton and England football captain Leah Williamson among the guests. In a speech the princess said: “The campaign is fundamentally about shining a spotlight on the critical importance of early childhood and how it shapes the adults we become.
“During this time we lay the foundations and building blocks for life. And it is when we learn to understand ourselves, understand others and understand the world in which we live.
“This is why 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.” Kate outlined the scope of the campaign, describing it as a long-term project beginning with how a child develops and the importance of the formative years.
It will go on to “explore in more depth the importance of a child’s social and emotional world” and the significance of relationships and “surroundings and experiences”. She added: “And of course, by understanding our own childhoods – what has shaped our own beliefs, relationships, behaviours and feelings – we, as adults, are better placed to play our part in positively shaping future generations.”
