Kate stepped out in Leeds this morning, in her first public appearance since the official launch of Shaping Us. The Princess of Wales headed to the city’s iconic Kirkgate Market, home to hundreds of local independent businesses and counting around 120,000 visitors a week. Upon her arrival, the royal reciprocated the warm welcome received from dozens of fans and well-wishers gathered by waving and smiling. She did not, however, react to the person who can be heard in a video wolf-whistling at her.
After a brief tour of the market, during which she was able to appreciate the delicacies sold under the roof of the Grade I listed building, the future Queen Consort joined a discussion with vendors and locals focused on their experiences of early childhood.
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.
The adorable character can be seen being smothered by her parents, playing with toys, going to nursery school and reaching her fifth birthday.
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.
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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.”
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