The Princess of Wales, Catherine, took her newly launched Early Year’s Campaign – ‘Shaping Us’, to Leeds today. The campaign was launched last night with a 90-second claymation video that depicts the incredible rate at which our brain develops in the first five years of our life. The ‘Shaping Us’ campaign is part of The Princess of Wales’s long-term project – Early Years, through which a generational change is aimed to achieve an understanding of the importance of the First five years of a child’s life and how it shapes adult life.
The Princess of Wales arrived in the heart of the city – Kirkgate market in the morning where she met with the local vendors and members of the public. Since 1857, the Kirkgate market is home to hundreds of local independent businesses covering everything from fresh fruit and vegetables to butchers, and fishmongers to a community library, cookery school and Volunteer centre.
The Princess of Wales stopped at many stalls and talked to the local business owners. From The Daily Mail’s report,
She made the admission during a visit to a market flower stall, where florist Neil Ashcroft gave her his sales patter as she inspected his merchandise.
He gave her some of her favourite hyacinths, adding: ‘No doubt William will be buying you some red roses.’ He described afterwards how she replied: ‘I don’t think he will do.’
Mr Ashcroft, who has run the M&D Flowers stall in the market for 32 years, lamented failing to make a sale. ‘I offered her a discount. I said I would give her a card and knock off the VAT,’ he added, although he did enjoy talking to her. ‘She acted very genuine,’ he added.
Elsewhere, shopper Shirley Wainwright, 75, had just got off a bus from Harrogate and was delighted to find herself talking to a future Queen.
The Princess of Wales very sweetly calms a man’s nerves when he asked her for a selfie at @LeedsMarkets. “We all get nervous” #ShapingUs @GBNEWS | @Earlychildhood pic.twitter.com/fRuaKp4ZJD
— Cameron Walker (@CameronDLWalker) January 31, 2023
The Princess also stood for a selfie with a local.
The second stop of the day was Leeds University, where The Princess of Wales had a back to University experience when she joined the students of the Childhood studies degree programme. Childhood studies placed the early years and childhood at the centre of the study and use a multidisciplinary lens to gain a holistic view of child and childhood.
Catherine attended the second-year module lecture on “Psychological approaches to Understanding and Supporting Children’s learning” which examines the current understanding of children’s learning and development including attachment theory. Especially how the relationships formed in early childhood provide a template for later life and set the foundations for all future learning, behaviour and health.
After the lecture, The Princess of Wales met with the students and discussed how their study and programmes are helping them understand the importance of early years and what can be done to help the Early Years sector.
About the visit, Kensington Palace said, “Children and young people’s interests are at the heart of life in Leeds, which has the ambition to be the best place in the UK for children and young people to grow up in. The city launched Child-Friendly Leeds in 2012 with the belief that by investing in and supporting children, young people and their families, the whole city will see immediate and longer-term social and economic benefits. Since then, Leeds City Council has been working with partners across the city to deliver enrichment programmes to improve outcomes and has seen many positive results, including a safe and appropriate reduction in the number of children and young people being taken into local authority care, more young people going into education, employment and training, and better school attendance.”
Spearheaded by the Princess of Wales and with support from a range of high-profile figures from the world of media, music, science and sports, ‘Shaping Us’ began with the release of a short film, highlighting how babies and children develop in response to their earliest experiences.
Now to What The Princess of Wales Wore – Catherine chose an elegant green and white look for the visit. The Princess of Wales wore a green Alexander McQueen coat that was very similar to the Alexander McQueen Red Coat that she first wore in October 2020 when she visited Hold Still 2020 Community Exhibition in London.
The long coat featured the classic tailored silhouette with black metal embossed button at the front and cuffs with slightly padded shoulders. The coat seemed like a custom version of Alexander McQueen’s Fall 2020-2021 Golden button-detailed wool-blend coat.
Underneath the coat, The Princess of Wales was wearing a Victoria Beckham Cotton-blend midi dress. Thanks to Data Duchess for the id.
Catherine topped the dress with a Vanzetti Waist belt. Thanks to Found by Bojana for the id.
The Princess of Wales was wearing her Shyla London Biaritz Squiggle Earrings.
And carried her Manu Atelier Green Micro Bold Leather Shoulder Bag.
The Princess of Wales was wearing her Gianvito Rossi Glen Boots.