The Princess of Wales made a significant visit to the renowned Anna Freud centre in central London on Thursday, 27th November 2025, to champion a groundbreaking new initiative focused on early childhood development.
A Royal Mission for Early Years
Kate, who has been patron of the leading children's mental health charity since 2016, attended to learn about an innovative project designed to enhance the skills of health visitors across the nation. The initiative represents a collaboration between her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood and the Anna Freud organisation, creating a specialised training curriculum that will equip health visitors to better support children's early social and emotional development.
Building on Royal Advocacy
The visit comes just one week after the Princess delivered her first major public speech in two years to business leaders in the City of London. During that address, she passionately argued that "profitability" and making a "positive impact" are not "incompatible", urging executives to prioritise "time and tenderness just as much as productivity and success".
She described her work in early years as her "life's work", stemming from what she called the "essential truth" that "the love we feel in our earliest years fundamentally shapes who we become and how we thrive as adults". Kate elaborated that "a loving home ultimately teaches us how to love and how to care, but every environment has the potential to shape our hearts".
Shaping Future Generations
During Thursday's engagement at the charity's central London offices, the Princess began by meeting families who are working directly with both Anna Freud and the Institute of Health Visitors to shape this important new programme. The collaboration aims to create evidence-based resources and training that will ultimately benefit children and families nationwide.
Anna Freud remains one of the country's most respected organisations for evidence-based research and training concerning children, young people and family mental health. This new partnership with The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood represents a significant step forward in translating research into practical support for those working directly with families during the crucial early years of child development.
