The Princess of Wales has posted a throwback family photograph of herself as a baby with her father, Michael Middleton.
The sweet snap shows baby Kate Middleton smiling and reaching out to grab her father’s face. It was released as part of Kate’s new Shaping Us campaign to highlight the importance of early years development.
Shared on the official Prince and Princess of Wales’ Twitter account, Kate wrote in the caption: “’Faces are a baby’s best toy’. On Tuesday we launched Shaping Us to raise awareness of the vital role our early years play in shaping the rest of our lives.”
She added that the photograph was taken “with Dad, by Mum”.
In a follow-up tweet, Kate asked royal fans to “spend time with your friends, colleagues and communities talking about your early childhoods and how they’ve shaped your lives”.
She added: “I hope you’ll also consider joining me in sharing a picture of yourselves before your fifth birthday to help with those conversations and to share some smiles and memories too.”
Many Twitter users obliged and shared their own childhood photos in reply to the princess’ tweet.
This week Kate has said her early years campaign goes beyond "raising kids" and is also about "shaping our society" and creating a "more nurturing world".
Speaking to radio presenter Roman Kemp, Kate said highlighting the importance of early childhood was not about putting “extra pressure” on parents, but saying they needed “help reprioritising family life”.
The Shaping Us initiative is a campaign described as her “life’s work” and aimed at raising the profile of the crucial period of a child’s development, from pregnancy to the age of five.
The campaign has the support of a number of famous people, including rapper Professor Green, presenter Fearne Cotton, former Saturdays singer Rochelle Humes and Lionesses’ captain Leah Williamson.
Kate’s comments to Kemp were filmed last month in the grounds of the Hertfordshire home of the Capital FM presenter’s parents, Spandau Ballet star Martin Kemp and singer Shirlie Holliman.
She tells the host of Capital’s breakfast show: “This isn’t just about raising kids.
“It’s about shaping our futures, shaping our society, creating a happier, healthier, more nurturing world for us all to live in.”
She unveiled her campaign on Monday (30 January) during an event at Bafta London’s HQ, alongside a 90-second Claymation film. Prince William was also in attendance to support her.
The film shows how a child is shaped by their interactions and environment.
In a speech at the event, Kate 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.”
Additional reporting by PA
