Children’s Princess! Kate Middleton is all smiles as she arrives at reopening of Young V&A museum
The Princess of Wales today combines two of her greatest passions as she reopens the Young V&A Museum in London.
The royal, 41, has made early childhood development a major focus of her work in recent years and will learn how the renovated museum will inspire the creativity of young visitors.
The Young V&A – formerly known as the V&A Museum of Childhood – is located in East London’s Bethnal Green and will officially reopen to the public on Saturday after a three-year £13m refurbishment.
When she arrived at the renovated monumental building this morning, Kate appeared cheerfully and shook hands with a museum employee.
The mother of three – the V&A’s first-ever patron and an avid photographer – will be shown around the property by children who played a key role in its redesign.
The Princess of Wales wore a pretty pink pleated midi dress and white heels for her East London engagement
As part of the extensive redesign, museum staff worked closely with local schoolchildren, parents and teachers to reinvent exhibition spaces and provide ideas for galleries.
The institute – which caters to children ages 0-14 and is free to enter – houses three new galleries called Play, Imagine and Design.
Nearly 2,000 items from the V&A collections, which aim to inspire children’s creativity, can be seen in the various rooms.
For starters, Kate – who re-dressed a pink midi dress by Ahana that she debuted at Wimbledon in 2021 – will visit the Play Gallery, which is aimed specifically at toddlers with plenty of sensory displays.
Here, the Princess of Wales learns more about the gallery dedicated to the development of language, motor skills and constructive play.
The royal – who has styled her hair in her signature bouncy hair dryer – then pays a visit to the Arcade, which is designed with teens in mind and focuses on the history of video and board games.
After this, Kate heads to the Design Gallery – where children learn how innovative objects are made – before finishing at the Imagine Gallery.
This area contains several areas where children can perform or tell stories.
The Princess of Wales, 41, paired her pink pleated dress with a pair of white heels as she stepped out this morning
The Princess of Wales pictured entering the Young V&A museum – which will be free to enter when it reopens on Saturday
The Princess of Wales (pictured at the reopening today) has been a patron of the V&A Museum since March 2018
Pictured: Kate styled her long brown hair in her signature bouncy hair dryer as she met with museum staff
The Princess of Wales is given a tour of the museum by children who helped with the redesign
The Princess of Wales looked effortlessly elegant today in a light pink midi dress for her East London engagement
The Princess of Wales opted for her signature bouncy hair dryer and smoky brown eyes for her engagement today
Kate has put children’s early development at the center of her work in recent years and will learn how the renovated museum will inspire the creativity of young visitors
Kate’s summer dress was cinched at the waist with a wide belt and had a button detail
Pictured: The Young V&A Museum in East London before closing for three years for extensive refurbishment
Pictured: The Young V&A’s Play Gallery, especially aimed at toddlers with a lot of sensory stimuli
The redevelopment is the most important intervention in the 150-year history of the listed building (Grade II*) and has completely transformed the museum
Pictured: Children playing in one of three redesigned areas, which have undergone a £13 million refurbishment
The Young V&A – which is aimed at children aged 0-14 – also features an impressive courtyard for further play
Within the Imagine Gallery there is a new area called The Stage.
This new special play area features objects from the V&A’s famous Theater and Performance collection, where children can also dress up and put on their own shows.
The Princess of Wales was announced as the V&A’s first ever royal patron in March 2018 – months before she gave birth to Prince Louis.
The royal was considered perfect for the elitist role thanks to her interest in ‘fine arts, photography and design’.
Although the London museum bears the name of Queen Victoria, no royal family had ever had official patronage from the institution before.