It's Pink & Pearls as the Princess Celebrates Kinship Carers

The Princess of Wales carried out engagements in London today to shine a spotlight on the importance of nurturing relationships throughout early childhood and beyond. The itinerary was planned with Kate's long-term campaign Shaping Us in mind. The campaign's ultimate goal is to transform early years to "one of the most strategically important topics of our time", according to Kensington Palace.

The Princess' first stop this morning was her patronage The Foundling Museum.

An arrival video.

The Princess of Wales arrives at the @FoundlingMuseum this morning as she carries out engagements in London to highlight the importance of nurturing relationships throughout early childhood and beyond. pic.twitter.com/H5YcLxU42q

— Victoria Murphy (@byQueenVic) May 25, 2023

The Foundling Museum tells the history of the Foundling Hospital, the UK’s first children’s charity and public art gallery.

The museum works with contemporary artists, writers and musicians to develop learning programmes that are meaningful for young people, especially those who are looked after and care-experienced, to help them see the world differently and imagine new possibilities for themselves.

The Princess was greeted by museum representatives and a familiar face -- Grayson Perry. Kate's worked with the artist since her earliest years as a royal when they were both involved with The Art Room.

Kate became Royal Patron of the Foundling Museum in 2019. You may recall she paid her first official visit in the role immediately after a joint engagement with Queen Elizabeth II at King's College. During a speech on the day, wearing grey and black Catherine Walker, Kate said: "I have always believed in the power of art, not only to unlock that creativity, but also to bring us joy, and to inspire, challenge and positively change our lives."

Last January, Kate and William visited the museum to learn more about the care sector in Britain. Kate wore her Hobbs Lara Rollneck sweater and Jigsaw trousers.

Today, the Princess spent time with those with experience of the care system, foster carers and adoptive parents to discuss the "lifelong impact that supportive relationships" have on children from their earliest years.

Kate was accompanied by Professor Green, who was brought up in Kinship care.

The rapper, born Stephen Manderson, has become a respected mental health activist and has been an avid supporter of the royals' work in the area since the 2016 Heads Together campaign.

I remember seeing an interview some years ago with Professor Green in which he very candidly discussed his childhood. He talked about his mum having him when she was just 16 and the immense responsibility for such a young person and the very painful reality of never having a proper relationship with his father, who later died by suicide, recalling the heart-breaking task of identifying his body. Stephen shared on Facebook the photo below from the day he was born with the caption: "I look at this picture and understand that happiness, like everything else, is temporary. It’s just something that exists for a moment."

He credited his grandmother Patricia and great-grandmother Edie who raised him (Patricia took three jobs to support raising her grandson) and how grateful he felt, and still feels, for their love and care. Recalling one moving memory about his great-grandmother he said: "She had this blue blanket that I remember vividly. I used to wake up before everyone else and I’d clamber beneath it and we’d read a book to each other – I’d read a page and then she’d read one. She taught me numeracy and how to read." On the impact of not having his parents by his side growing up, he added poignantly: "I suffered from anxiety and depression. If you have loving parents as a kid, you don’t realise how fortunate you are; I didn’t have that love from them. Only my nan really understood how much I was hurting."

Seeing the joy music gave him, Patricia and Edie encouraged him endlessly in his pursuits. Seeing how proud and happy they were for him spurred Stephen on to the career he has today -- and using that platform to help those who may not have people like Edie and Patricia in their lives. In 2021, Stephen and his fiancée Karima welcomed a baby boy named Slimane.

Kate and Professor Green participated in an insightful group conversation.

More from the Mail Online:

'Themes of the museum’s current exhibition Finding Family inspired the trainees to create poetry, and the royal joined a conversation between them and the singer to hear more about how creative writing has helped them to express their emotions and own experiences.

The royal said she felt "honoured" to have met the group and hear their aspirations.'

Additionally today, the Princess took the opportunity to support her patronage as they strive to reach the immense fundraising goal of £4.6 million to fulfil a once-only opportunity to secure the museum's home and custodianship of the Foundling Hospital Collection for the next 999 years. As the only museum in the United Kingdom to celebrate the lives of care-experienced people and the birth of creative philanthropy, it holds a unique place in our history.

In a statement, Kate wrote: "Their ground-breaking work to support each care-experienced young person to fundamentally change the future direction of their lives is one that means the world to me. Importantly, it shows that it is never too late to make a difference, and that by providing the right support, we can enable those who have faced real difficulties to overcome their challenges and achieve their goals. The Museum’s work opens the door to new opportunities for vulnerable children and young people, connecting them with artists and developing skills which they can take into their adult lives. By helping them to undertake this journey, we can create positive, lasting change that benefits our society as a whole."

An exciting day as we welcomed HRH The Princess of Wales for her third visit to the Museum as our Patron. HRH met with care-experienced young people, as well as individuals with experience of fostering and adoption, to understand their journeys. @Earlychildhood @KensingtonRoyal pic.twitter.com/37P2Kc01SA

— Foundling Museum (@FoundlingMuseum) May 25, 2023

The Princess continued to encourage people to support this campaign if they can: "Just as the Museum has helped so many people, I hope that we can come together to do what we can to help protect the long-term future of this wonderful organization. I am grateful to all those who have already shown their support for the Foundling Museum and I sincerely wish that its vital work can continue for decades to come."

If you would like to donate or find out more about the campaign, please click here.

Afterwards, the Princess visited Kinship carers.

Kinship carers exist to step in when a parent cannot care for their child. Acknowledging it is a heart-breaking time for all involved, they provide love and care.

More on their work which operates across England and Wales:

'Instinctively, a loved one steps in – a grandparent, brother, sister, aunt, uncle or family friend. They are now a kinship carer, bringing up the children they love. There’s no chance to prepare. Plans are pushed aside. Relationships, jobs and savings are sacrificed.

It’s life changing and challenging raising children who’ve been hurt or neglected, but kinship carers do it anyway because they put the children first.

Kinship families raising over 200,000 children are on the brink of going under because there’s no recognition or support. They feel invisible. They are desperate, but they are fighting.

We know how hard life can be for kinship carers. But we’ve seen the amazing things they’re capable of with someone by their side. With the right support, children raised in kinship families flourish.'

Kate was delighted to join a playgroup.

In February, Kinship achieved a major goal following a successful campaign for "long overdue" government support". The Government’s Children’s Social Care Implementation Strategy "places kinship care front and centre of a new national approach to supporting children and families across England", according to charity. It includes measures that Kinship has long campaigned for, including developing a first ever kinship care strategy by the end of the year and a £9 million national programme of tailored support and training for Kinship carers.

Kinship’s CEO, Dr Lucy Peake said: "As the largest provider of support services designed with and for kinship carers, we know how vital it is that kinship carers are able to access the expert advice and training they desperately need. This new programme of support must be co-designed by kinship carers to ensure it fulfils their needs and maximises their strengths."

For the second engagement, Professor Green brought his grandmother Patricia. 

More from The Mail:

'Pat, who is now in a wheelchair, was with him. 'Lovely to meet you, I've heard so much about you,' the Princess said.

Manderson said: 'When my mum gave birth the doctor handed me to my nan and that set the tone for the rest of my life. 

'My nan become my guardian when I was three. The first time I heard about Kinship I rang my nan and told her 'did you know you were a kinship carer' and she was like 'what, no?'

'I don't think a lot of people in this situation have heard of this term,' said the Princess.'

The Princess opted for pink and pearls with familiar pieces today.

Kate wore her sophisticated ice pink Alexander McQueen trouser suit. Below, Kate wearing the look last June for an early years engagement.

Today, Kate teamed the suit with a matching pink blouse and Camilla Elphick Pearl Belt (with thanks to Kylie).

Kate accessorised with her Maria Black Cha pearl earrings.

And her pair of white leather Gianvito Rossi 105 pumps.