Kate Middleton Interrupts Her Summer Vacation for a Key Project of Her Royal Life

NEED TO KNOW

• Kate Middleton is launching a series of innovative films to showcase some of the key themes behind raising and nurturing children

• The Princess of Wales, 43, and her Centre for Early Childhood hope the films will be used by professionals and volunteers working with the youngest children, parents and carers

• Princess Kate, who is on summer vacation with her three children, has put the earliest years in a person’s life at the heart of her public work

It may be summer vacation time, but Kate Middleton is still keeping the youngest members of society top of mind.

The Princess of Wales, 43, is backing a series of videos that help spread the right messages for building happier and healthier children, a key part of her royal work.

In a new message, Princess Kate says the first five years of someone’s life “offers a sacred opportunity to transform our societies for the better” by equipping those children to “face the future.” The films are available on the Centre for Early Childhood’s YouTube channel starting Wednesday, August 6.

Kate — who is currently on vacation with her husband Prince William, 43, and their three children, Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7 — has taken a close role in the production of the short animated films that are designed for professionals and volunteers who who work with babies, children and families.

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She spent time with two of the illustrators and met early years practitioners who have been involved in the development of the films, which are produced by Kate’s Centre for Early Childhood, during a creative workshop in June.

Photos from the meeting show the Princess of Wales, sporting a green suit, checking out the designs and discussing the series while seated around a table.

Her full message, shared on August 5, reads, “Early childhood has been recognized as the golden opportunity to build strong foundations for future life, health and happiness.”

“The new animated films from The Centre of Early Childhood showcase how adults can create nurturing, loving interactions with children, helping to foster social and emotional development during their earliest years,” she continued. “These core social and emotional skills are essential in forming healthy relationships and are fundamental building blocks that can carry us through life.”

“That is why we want to raise the awareness of, and celebrate, the extraordinary value of everyday moments of connection which matter more than ever in a rapidly changing world,” Kate said. “Early childhood offers a sacred opportunity to transform our societies for the better and by nurturing these skills in our babies and children, we will be raising a younger generation better equipped to face the future.”

The six short films are designed to explain the science behind the everyday moments of connection that can have a long-term positive impact on a child’s life, The Centre for Early Childhood explains.​

The videos are intended to be used by people who work with babies, children and families, to aid meaningful and consistent conversations with parents and carers about social and emotional development. It is hoped that the films will also be built into training and practice at universities, charities and professional bodies across the U.K. and beyond.

The quest to help those who are raising and nurturing or caring for the youngest children is Princess Kate’s key cause, a commitment that will last for decades through her public life, those close to her have said.

Childhood development experts, including Professor Peter Fonagy from the Anna Freud Centre, who has worked with Kate for many years, and Professor Sam Wass, have helped inform the films.

Some 25 organizations, many of which the Princess of Wales is a patron of — including Action for Children, Place2Be and the Scouts — are committed to using the films in their work. They plan to share them with their networks and embed the short videos in their training programs. The series has also been translated into Welsh and British Sign Language.

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After an introductory film, the six films have the following themes: How We Grow an Emotionally Healthy Brain, Noticing and Navigating Feelings, Managing Big Feelings Together, Back and Forth Interactions, Supporting Early Learning and Creating Space for Connection.

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