The Princess of Wales wowed in a monochrome outfit today as she visited children’s mental health charity Anna Freud to launch a new project.
Kate, 43, who is patron of the charity, is set to discuss the vital role of relationships and connection in shaping babies, children and young people’s future life outcomes during her visit to the centre in north London today.
Her Royal Highness’ visit comes as The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood launches a new project with Anna Freud to enhance the skills of health visitors to support early social and emotional development.
Anna Freud, of which Her Royal Highness has been Patron since 2016, is the leading organisation in the UK for evidence-based research and training on children, young people and families’ mental health.
It also comes a week after The Princess visit to the Future Workforce Summit, where she made her first public speech in two years, and following her appearance at the Royal Variety Performance alongside husband Prince William.
Today, the Princess appeared in good spirits in a black and white collared dress with grey pumps, a brown clutch and dainty earrings.
Kate met with the charity’s chief executive, Professor Eamon McCrory, to discuss the charity’s transformative work with mental health.
She also joined roundtable discussions with experts, young people, educators and guests, to discuss how to create communities where strong relationships can flourish, and where children and young people’s wellbeing can be supported.
The Princess of Wales wowed in a monochrome dress today as she visited children’s mental health charity Anna Freud
Kate, 43, who is patron of the charity, is set to discuss the vital role of relationships and connection in shaping babies, children and young people’s future life outcomes
Anna Freud aims to create a world where all children and young people are able to achieve their full potential. Research conducted by the charity has shown that those who are more socially connected have fewer mental health problems.
Young people in Britain are more likely to report feelings of loneliness than any other age group, with 70 per cent of 18-24 year olds revealing they feel that way sometimes.
The new project will be informed by the The Royal Foundation Centre’s Shaping Us Framework and will create an ambitious workforce development programme together with The Institute Of Health Visiting.
It will aim to ensure more babies and young children develop the social and emotional foundations they need for a happy, healthy life.
Anna Freud will also design a programme to support health visitors and other early years workers.
In her speech last week, the first in two years, the Princess of Wales called on business leaders to prioritise ‘time and tenderness’ alongside profit and success.
Catherine argued that productivity was not ‘incompatible’ with having a positive impact on young lives.
She also thanked her team for their support over the last difficult few years of her own life, which saw her diagnosed with cancer in early 2024.
Kate’s visit today is an important one, for a cause close to her heart
Kate showed off her lighter locks once more for her outing in north London today
The mother-of-three looked as glamorous as ever as she stepped out of her car upon arrival
The Princess of Wales, Patron of Anna Freud, during a visit to the children’s mental health charity in north London
The future queen was speaking at a landmark summit in the City of London organised by her Royal Foundation’s Centre for Early Childhood to encourage big business to invest in supporting children and their families.
She spoke of the importance of love, which she described as ‘the invisible thread’ that is woven throughout childhood and ‘becomes the foundation, the very fabric of resilience and belonging.’
The Princess said: ‘A loving home ultimately teaches us how to love and how to care, but every environment has the potential to shape our hearts.
‘Every one of you interacts with your own environment; a home, a family, a business, a workforce, a community. These are the ecosystems that you yourselves help to weave. Imagine a world where each of these environments were built on valuing time and tenderness just as much as productivity and success.
‘As business leaders you will face the daily challenge of finding the balance between profitability and having a positive impact. But the two are not, and should not be incompatible.’
The event marked the first time the princess has given a speech in public since she was diagnosed with cancer following major abdominal surgery.
Her decision to address the large gathering of around 80 of the UK’s most influential business leaders was said to underline the importance she places on her work on early childhood, the description given to the formative developmental age between birth and five.
The princess continued: ‘My passion and the work of The Centre for Early Childhood, stems from one essential truth; that the love we feel in our earliest years fundamentally shapes who we become and how we thrive as adults.
The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood is launching a new project with Anna Freud to enhance the skills of health visitors to support early social and emotional development
‘Love is the first and most essential bond. But it is also the invisible thread, woven with time, attention and tenderness, through consistent, nurturing relationships, which creates the grounded and meaningful environments around a child.
‘It is this texture, the weave of love, which forms a child’s emotional world and becomes the foundation, the very fabric of resilience and belonging.
‘The home should be the space where love, safety and rhythm enable a child to thrive.
‘A loving home ultimately teaches us how to love and how to care, but every environment has the potential to shape our hearts.
‘Every one of you interacts with your own environment; a home, a family, a business, a workforce, a community. These are the ecosystems that you yourselves help to weave. Imagine a world where each of these environments were built on valuing time and tenderness just as much as productivity and success.
‘As business leaders you will face the daily challenge of finding the balance between profitability and having a positive impact. But the two are not, and should not be incompatible. ‘
She concluded: ‘At The Centre for Early Childhood, we believe that we must do all we can, to create the conditions for love to flourish. That is how we invest in our future.
‘Every child deserves respect and safety, and everyone who cares deserve recognition and appreciation.
‘Every act of care creates community because we are all essentially weavers of the same fabric.
‘I believe in restoring the dignity to the quiet, often invisible work of caring, of loving well, as we look to build a happier, healthier society.
‘You are here because you care, so thank you.’
