Kate Meets A Princess During Little Village Call

On Tuesday, the Duchess of Cambridge participated in celebrating Little Village's fifth anniversary by learning more about their efforts to support families. 

Kensington Palace said: "Since their launch in 2016, Little Village has supported over 11,000 children and grown into one of the largest baby banks in the UK. Baby banks aim to support and empower families by ensuring every child has the essential items they need to thrive. Families are referred to Little Village through a network of over 1,800 professionals such as midwives and social workers. As well as providing practical support for families, the baby bank also supports families emotionally, which is particularly crucial during lockdown when families can feel more socially isolated than ever."

Over the summer, the Duchess brought a number of British retailers together to support baby banks after she was "moved to tears" by stories of families she heard during a private visit to one of Baby Basics Norfolk branches and was determined to help with their plight. The endeavour saw 25,000 items donated to 40 baby banks including Little Village. 

During the call, Kate told Yelda Rashid and Vicky Jones "I'm thinking about you a lot and I really care for families up and down the country." Vicky told the Duchess about her relationship with Little Village and the ways in which they have supported her and her daughter over the last three and a half years while Yelda, whose daughter has Rett Syndrome, spoke about the challenges she has faced during the latest lockdown and emphasised the importance of support networks. Vicky added "As soon as I walked in to Little Village it was like a huge family unit. It was absolutely amazing."

Just when you think you’re over Zoom, along comes a call from The Duchess of Cambridge!

The Duchess @KensingtonRoyal called to check in with two of the mums we’ve supported, Vicky and Yelda and our Founder, @mssophiaparker

Great end to our 5th anniversary week! pic.twitter.com/FNgXXzWgZs

— Little Village (@LittleVillageHQ) February 12, 2021

There was a very sweet moment when Vicky was joined by her adorable daughter Isla who declared "I am a Princess today".

Hello! reports:

"Can she say hello to you quickly?" asked Vicky.

"I'd love that," replied the Duchess, adding: "Hi Isla. You look very nice today. I love your hairband."

"I'm a princess today," the little girl told her.

Told it was snowing outside, Kate said: "No way! Have you been outside? Have you made a snowman yet?"

"No, mummy's too cold," laughed Vicky.'

Founder Sophia Parker told the Duchess in addition to providing essential items, the charity has made 7,000 phone calls to families in order to "retain a sense of community and connection" during the pandemic. It's a bittersweet time for Sophia. After five years which saw Little Village help 11,000 children she completed her last day yesterday. Of Sophia's legacy, a member of the team said "The village that you’ve created is a village filled with love - that’s an amazing legacy and such a rare thing to have sustained it through its growth."

To coincide with the anniversary, the charity commissioned a report outlining the poverty crisis families are dealing with and the additional challenges presented by the pandemic. You can read it in full here. A cursory look at the most significant findings:

'Little Village has released a report, supported by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, revealing exclusive new data exploring the rates, persistence and depth of poverty in families with young children. It also highlights the impact of the Covid pandemic on low-income families with young children.

The analysis reveals 1.3 million of the 4.2 million children in poverty in the UK are babies and children under the age of 5.'

The Duchess wore L.K. Bennett's Liv Jumper for the call (with thanks to Sophia). Described as "Crafted from a soft cotton and merino wool blend in cream, this stylish knit has a Seventies-inspired collar, short placket with navy buttons, long sleeves, a regular fit and navy stitch detail." It's available in limited sizing at L.K. Bennett and John Lewis. 

Below, the navy Liv dress from L.K. Bennett. 

Kate also wore black jeans/trousers.

Kate wore the same pair of earrings we saw earlier this week for a call to students at Ulster University which also took place on Tuesday. It remains very difficult to make a definitive ID. 

I hope you all have a great weekend!