Kate Middleton Is "Excited" About a New Development in Her Early Years Work
Back in March 2023, Kate Middleton established a Taskforce for businesses to inspire the corporate world to take action to improve early childhood. And today, the group has launched report which they say marks a “milestone moment” in their work and could provide a huge boost for the UK economy.
Today, the Royal Foundation Business Taskforce for early childhood outlined an action plan and recommendations for businesses to play a bigger role in supporting family life. The Princess of Wales has been kept up to date with the announcement as she remains out of the public eye receiving treatment for a cancer.
Kate is said to be “excited” by the developments; however, a Kensington Palace spokesperson was quick to point out to journalists that the milestone was not an indication that the Princess was returning to work. There was no update on her health.
“This should not be seen or reported on as Her Royal Highness returning to work,” a Kensington Palace spokesperson told reporters early Monday. “The work of The Prince and Princess’ projects is ‘always on,’ and that has been no different for the Centre over the past five months with a great deal of progress being made…Early childhood is a huge priority for the Princess and so she has been kept fully updated throughout the development of the Taskforce’s work and she has seen the report.”
Executive Director of the Royal Foundation for Early Childhood, Christian Guy, described the announcement as “another crucial moment for HRH’s early childhood work.” “Its impact, and the work of her Centre for Early Childhood, is rolling on as she recovers,” he said.
“She’s excited by it. Shaping Us was about awareness, but also, for her, so important is action, so to have eight of the most significant businesses in Britain come forward and make the case to their fellow business leaders is vital, it’s exciting for her,” Guy continued. “When she launched it she really challenged businesses to go beyond the usual thinking. That’s why these five areas are set out including social and emotional skills, because we often hear businesses talk about why they are so important but we do wait a long time before we focus on them in our system. The science shows us they are crucial in those earliest years and so she’s excited about that in particular.”
The Taskforce claimed today that investing in early childhood could generate £45.5 billion for the UK economy each year. The eight businesses that make up the Taskforce have committed to their own actions to improve outcomes for children and families as well as providing a blueprint for other businesses for how they can make improvements.
“I know, having briefed the Princess on this, that she is enormously grateful to the members of the Taskforce who have made such fantastic progress on this work over the past year,” Guy said. “She feels passionately about the transformational impact of getting this right together, both for the current generation and for many more to come. I know that she is keen to encourage all businesses, no matter what their size or purpose, to join us on this journey and is looking forward to seeing momentum grow in the coming months.”
The Centre for Early Childhood was founded in 2021 and is part of William and Kate’s Royal Foundation. Working to improve understanding of the importance of the early years has become a cornerstone of the public role that Kate, now 42, has carved out for herself since marrying Prince William in 2011.
In a moving statement on March 22, the Princess of Wales told the world that cancer had been discovered following her major abdominal surgery in January. “We hope that you will understand that, as a family, we now need some time, space and privacy while I complete my treatment,” she said. "My work has always brought me a deep sense of joy and I look forward to being back when I am able, but for now I must focus on making a full recovery.”
Prince William has continued to carry out public engagements. Earlier this month he told a member of the public in the Isles of Scilly that his wife was “doing well.”
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