The Princess of Wales joined forces with former England football manager Gareth Southgate today at a significant London summit focused on encouraging major businesses to invest in early childhood development programmes.
A Royal Mission for Early Childhood
Kate, 43, looked elegant alongside the 55-year-old sports legend at the 'Future Workforce Summit', hosted by The Royal Foundation Business Taskforce for Early Childhood at the Salesforce Tower in London. This cause remains deeply personal to the Princess, who established the Business Taskforce in March 2023 to galvanise corporate action on the issue.
The summit marked the launch of five new initiatives from leading UK firms, all designed to support families with babies and young children. The ambitious collective goal is to reach one million children across the nation by 2026. A spokesperson from Kensington Palace described the event as a crucial milestone in the Princess's work to inspire society-wide change for a healthier and happier population.
Major Business Initiatives Unveiled
The event, hosted by journalist Mishal Husain, featured other distinguished attendees including research psychologist Professor Marc Brackett, Harvard's Professor Robert Waldinger, and psychotherapist Philippa Perry. They witnessed the announcement of concrete commitments from Taskforce members, which include corporate giants like Aviva, The Co-operative Group, Deloitte, Iceland Foods, IKEA, the LEGO Group, NatWest, and Unilever.
To date, programmes delivered by these organisations have already reached more than half a million babies and young children. The new initiatives include:
- IKEA partnering with local baby banks to provide essential items and launching a product range to raise money for the Baby Bank Alliance.
- The LEGO Group donating special 'Build Me Emotions' sets to early years providers across the UK to help children explore feelings through play.
- The Co-operative Group creating a dedicated early childhood fund through its apprentice levy, already supporting over 130 early years apprentices as part of a £5 million commitment.
- Deloitte funding leadership qualifications for more than 1,300 early years teachers.
Connecting Early Years and Maternal Mental Health
The summit follows closely on the heels of another significant move by the Princess in her advocacy for early childhood. Earlier this week, Kate penned an emotional personal letter to the Maternal Mental Health Alliance (MMHA), a charity of which she has been patron since 2022.
In the letter, signed simply 'Catherine', she championed the 'unseen' mental health battles during pregnancy and highlighted the importance of 'love, hope, and compassion'. The correspondence coincided with the MMHA's new photographic exhibition, 'This Is Also Motherhood', which features ten women sharing their experiences with perinatal mental health.
The Princess's dual focus on early development and parental mental health underscores her comprehensive approach. The MMHA states that around one in four women and one in ten fathers are affected by perinatal mental illnesses, making this support critical for building a strong foundation for the next generation.
