Kate Wants to "Create a Society Which Sees the Child Within Every Adult"

Good evening, dear readers! It's been a whirlwind 24 hours for the Princess of Wales as she unveiled the Shaping Us national symposium, delivered a landmark speech, described as "the biggest of her life", before enjoying a late night birthday dinner for the King!

It all kicked off late yesterday afternoon when the Princess arrived at London's Design Museum to host a reception for an array of figures in the early years sector and those who have supported Kate's work.

The Princess with Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury.

And posing for a photo with Dr Sophie Mort, an author and clinical psychologist who is striving to "take psychology out of the therapy room" and make it work for each individual.

The reception coincided with news the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood has conducted a "first of its kind global listening exercise" involving experts from 21 countries around the world, to unite the thinking and agree on the key foundational skills we lay in early childhood, but continue to grow beyond it, that help establish happy, healthy adult lives. Kensington Palace said: "These social and emotional skills are fundamental to our future mental and physical well-being – shaping everything from our ability to form positive relationships, to our capacity for learning, working, and coping with adversity. They all have their foundations in early childhood. This work has been undertaken to agree a set of common core skills that can apply equally to children and adults, so we can bring people together with a united language and vision to drive action at every level. The Shaping Us National Symposium will share the findings from this exercise and focus on the action needed to make social and emotional skills a greater priority."

The Telegraph reports:

'‌It comes after the Princess commissioned her first NHS scientific study, designed to support the emotional development of babies.

‌The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood funded the £50,000 trial, which was inspired by an official visit to Denmark and which evaluated a special tool used by health visitors at the regular six to eight-week check to identify babies at risk.'

Kate had an opportunity to rehearse her speech before departing.

Kate's autumn/winter of suits continued with a repeat of her burgundy Roland Mouret look. Below, Kate wearing the suit in January for an England Wheelchair Rugby League team reception in January.

Kate completed the look with her Holland Cooper bodysuit, Shyla London Rosalia earrings and black suede Gianvito Rossi 105 pumps.

From there, it was back to Kensington Palace for a quick change and time for Prince Charles' 75th birthday dinner attended by 50 close family and friends at Clarence House.

Kate Middleton Sparkles in an Emerald Gown for King Charles' Private 75th Birthday Party https://t.co/DjU9ajWE73

— People (@people) November 15, 2023

Whilst it's very difficult to see details of Kate's dress, they certainly look like a solid match for Needle & Thread's Alicia gown (particularly the neckline detail). The sequin emerald gown is sold out. Now, this would be a fabulous choice for a re-wear. I know many of us are missing the usual festive receptions and premieres, etc. we often see at this time of year. I do hope we see one or two before Christmas break.

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Today, it was time to return to the Design Museum and for Kate to outline her vision for her efforts in the early years space moving forward.

Kate with the events presenter Fearne Cotton.

The Evening Standard reports:

'Before her speech, she briefly met TV presenter Fearne Cotton, a Shaping Us champion, who hosted the event, and she confessed to being “nervous” but “excited” ahead of her address.

She also revealed how her youngest child Prince Louis was being taught in an environment at Lambrook School in Berkshire that nurtured his wellbeing.

Kate told Cotton: “Louis’ class, they came back with a feelings wheel, it’s really good…these are five or six-year-olds, and going with names or pictures of a colour that represents how they feel that day, so there is a real keenness in school particularly to get involved in conversations.”'

The event began with the keynote speech.

I wanted to share Kate's speech in its entirety with you all. The Princess began: "People often ask me why I focus my time on early childhood. The answer is because I care deeply about making a positive difference, in helping the most vulnerable and supporting those who are most in need. This is not just about the youngest children in our society, who are, by their very nature, vulnerable. It is also about the many young people and adults who are suffering. We must do more than simply meet the short term needs of these individuals. We must also look at creating long term, preventative change. And that takes us right back to the beginning.

"When I have asked many individuals, whose lives have reached crisis point; in prison rehabilitation programmes, addiction recovery centres, or those affected by homelessness; what would make the biggest difference in preventing similar pathways for future generations, they often talk about providing safety, belonging and love in early childhood. It is human nature to strive for these things. We feel this innately and instinctively. But for too many of us, at too many times in our lives, these basic human needs go unanswered. There is a disconnect. Somehow these deep-rooted needs aren’t always met by the societies we are creating, and the effects are evident all around us – with poor mental health, anxiety, depression, abuse, and addiction all too common.

"It isn’t enough therefore to simply wish for a better world. We must acknowledge and address the root cause of some of today’s toughest social challenges and work together to find better answers. Because ultimately, we are all part of a delicate, interconnected ecosystem and just as we need to restore, protect and invest in our planet, so we must restore, protect, and invest in our societies, communities, relationships, and ourselves. 'Prison was the best thing that happened to me,' was what one prisoner told me on a recent visit. 'I thought how I was living my life was normal, but it allowed me time to stop, not just being busy and keeping up with what I was expected to be doing, it allowed me time to be with ‘me’ and consider my needs, my mind. I had never had a chance to do that before. I just didn’t know I needed help,' he told me.

"For many individuals like this, trauma, stress, and adverse experiences in their childhood, has caused fundamental harm that they have carried for years. Our psychological capabilities are not fixed. They continue to grow and therapeutic interventions can help with the healing process, providing the support and crucially the skills needed to cope on the journey to recovery. Interventions like this, help us to understand ourselves better, and be more compassionate to our own needs. It helps us to understand our behaviours and how they are a complex interplay of our thoughts and emotions. And helps us to communicate and express ourselves in order to build relationships with others and the world around us. These social and emotional skills are ultimately the foundations of any happy, healthy life, so why does it so often take individuals to reach breaking point, rock bottom or even a prison sentence to finally find the support they so desperately need.

"Because surely if we really are talking about prevention and meeting our deep-rooted needs, our social and emotional knowledge and capabilities are vital to us all. They need to be prioritised, normalised, and nurtured if we are to build resilience for the future – especially when we consider the demands and the toll our ever-complex world is taking on us as human beings. So why focus on early childhood if we care so much about these things later in life? As many of you in the room know, early childhood fundamentally shapes the adults we become. It is the golden opportunity to establish the core foundations and capabilities we need to thrive all the way through our lives. This period, especially between pregnancy and five, is when the brain is at its most receptive, and developing faster than any other time in our lives.

"Despite the fact that each and every one of us, has had our own childhoods, few people understand the true impact our formative years have had on shaping who we are today. That is why I decided to launch the Shaping Us campaign – to raise awareness of, and action on the importance of this critical time.The latest science clearly indicates that early childhood development must focus on more than just the physical and technical skills of our children – we also need to prioritise their inner worlds too. Because their social and emotional development helps them understand and value who they are, and profoundly shapes how they think, behave, and connect to others, how they manage anxiety, low mood, tantrums, self-loathing or anger; these are the things that will shape their future lives, and without solid foundations in childhood, they may become vulnerabilities later. No matter how outwardly successful they may be.

"Our ability to do all this requires a social and emotional skill set and if we don’t put these building blocks in place when we’re young, we find it much harder to manage ourselves, communicate and connect to others and engage with the world around us in adulthood, leaving us vulnerable to isolation and adversity. That is why I have convened this Shaping Us Symposium, and why I initiated a global listening exercise earlier this year working with senior experts from 21 countries. I wanted us to look deeper and discover how we help people to grow, think, and behave throughout life. Uniting many different fields as we do so – from our health and education systems, charities, businesses, philanthropists, scientists, and academics – to consider this one question together: What are the key skills we develop in early childhood, but continue to grow beyond it, that help establish the core foundations for life and allow us to go on to thrive as adults?

"The task here was to find a common bridge and distil a set of core skills that could be equally applied to children and adults. The findings are really quite exciting, and what is clear, is not only the untapped potential to bring these two worlds together but also just how important our social and emotional capabilities are, so much of the human wiring we need, for everything we will face in the future. Nurturing skills that enable us to know ourselves, manage our emotions, focus our thoughts, communicate with others, foster positive relationships and explore the world are just as valuable to our long-term success as reading, writing or arithmetic. These skills are the bedrock, not only for helping children to thrive, but also for restoring, protecting, and investing in humankind. So, to rebalance and restore, calls for new thinking and action at every level. Because the future of our children is something we all build together; through the actions each and every one of us takes every day."

The Princess concluded by telling guests: "It is therefore time we understood that building a healthier world means nurturing the foundations that support our children – everything from the systems that govern early care through to our attitudes to those raising the next generation, and the support they receive. Because if we can create a society which sees the child within every adult – and the adult within every child – we will finally start to change it for the better."

The symposium reunited old political foes, former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair and William Hague, former Leader of the Conservative Party.

ITV reports:

'Former prime minister Tony Blair was asked to join the Princess of Wales’ gathering today to speak about how politicians can create change.

Sir Tony, who was prime minister from 1997 to 2007 set up Labour’s Sure Start scheme to give parents better childcare options.

Speaking at the conference alongside William Hague, Sir Tony said: "I really think this subject, about how you shape the early years, is phenomenally important today. 

"That early education, however they get it, is so critical to their development and if they don’t get it, they are always playing catch up. I think now that we know that the evidence is there, the rest of it’s just political will and policy. 

"I think you need to get policy in this area that’s really imaginative. I don’t think there should be any great political divide about the importance of early years. I think wherever you sit in the political spectrum, we should accept it and people do. 

"The question is, what’s the best way of getting the right policy in place that this can be a reality."'

A clip from the conversation.

Tony Blair and WilliamHague prove quite the double act at the Princess of Wales’s early years symposium.
Hague says empathy was crucial when preparing to go up against Blair at PMQs.Blair doesn’t recall any empathy but does recall being humiliated:”one of the great life lessons” pic.twitter.com/oYK5qaAFVh

— Victoria Ward (@victoria_ward) November 15, 2023

 

A video from the engagement.

The Princess wore her striking purple Emilia Wickstead suit today. Below, wearing it in Derry in September 2021.

Kate teamed the suit with her navy suede Gianvito Rossi pumps.

And the Princess accessorised with a striking pair of earrings -- Princess Diana's double drop sapphire and diamond earrings.

Embed from Getty Images

Before I sign off tonight, a couple of quick housekeeping notes:

1) I've been listening to reader feedback regarding the cumbersome advertisement layout on the blog. I have been busily researching alternatives to make visiting the site a more enjoyable experience. By the end of this month, a new layout will be implemented which should be both more user friendly and increase site speed.

2) There has been a notable increase in 'trolling' anonymous comments. A friendly reminder: this is not the forum for comments on weight. I would ask again for anyone leaving a comment to use a moniker. It can be a television character, or number, etc., but please do so moving forward.

We have a glittering day ahead on Tuesday with the Prince and Princess of Wales participating in the State visit featuring a white-tie banquet (and tiara) bringing a day of ceremony and pageantry to a close.