The Princess of Wales was ready for action when she arrived at Maidenhead Rugby Club this morning in her sportswear.
Sporty Kate, 41, looked athletic in a turquoise rugby T-shirt and smart navy trousers, paired with brilliant white trainers, as she arrived at the ground, where she will continue her crusade of early years – as new data shows a greater awareness of the development of the early years since she made the case.
Known for her love of activities, the mother of three has been a patron of the Rugby Football Union since 2020, when she took over the role from her brother-in-law Prince Harry after he stepped down as senior royal in 2020. .
Arriving at the club this morning with the sun shining down on her, Kate looked well rested but ready to go, her dark brown locks tied back in a sleeping ponytail.
Today, she combines her two loves of sports and development in the early years as she continues her work on the Shaping Us campaign – and she’ll get stuck in training with the players as she takes part in drills on the field.
The most graceful rugby player ever? Kate looked ballerina-like as she practiced on the Maidenhead Rugby Club pitch this afternoon
Kate’s visit comes as the Royal Foundation Center for Early Childhood has released statistics showing increased awareness of the importance of early childhood development over the past year – but there is still plenty of work to be done.
A public perception survey commissioned by the Foundation and conducted by Ipsos UK found that last year 17% of people identified the period between pregnancy and age five as a critical time in shaping a child’s future.
This year, however, that share has increased by 2% to 19% overall.
Despite an overall increase in awareness, the data also showed that it was mostly women who saw age range as important in shaping a child’s future, at 24% – compared to just 14% of men.
Her visit to the club follows a trip to Windsor Family Hub on Tuesday, where she met with parents and children supported by the center in terms of resources, education and mental health.
Kate will also talk to local and professional rugby players about their childhood experiences and how they shaped the successful athletes they are today.
The mother of three was ready for action with her sleek yet practical sporty look and her hair pinned back in a sleek ponytail
The princess went to train with former England ace Danny Care and seemed to be in her element
Get stuck! The Princess of Wales put on her sports gear when she arrived at Maidenhead Rugby Club this afternoon
While walking with Ugo Monye, the princess flashed her brilliant white Lululemon sneakers
The princess seemed in her element as she chatted with Ugo Monye upon arrival at Maidenhead Rugby Club
Kate chatted with former England player Monye, who has been a staunch champion of the Shaping Us campaign
The princess seemed in her element as she chatted with Ugo Monye upon arrival at Maidenhead Rugby Club
She also talks to the male players about fatherhood and how local resources such as sports clubs can improve children’s childhood experiences.
Kate will focus in particular on how the clubs can create a sense of community and support network in young people’s lives.
During her visit, the princess will also be teaming up with Ugo Monye, former England rugby star and father-of-two who has championed the Shaping Us campaign, and his former teammate Danny Care.
Si Trove, the founder of the mentally healthy charity Brave Mind, is also attending the club today.
His charity works with rugby clubs, universities and schools to provide a national platform to help rugby clubs and schools improve their approach to mental health support in their communities.
Launched through the Royal Foundation Center for Early Childhood in January 2023, the Shaping Us campaign aims to improve children’s early experiences to improve their chances in later life.
Commenting on today’s statistics, Christian Guy, Director of the Foundation, said: ‘It is encouraging to see the level of awareness of the critical importance of the first five years of our lives moving in the right direction – although there is still much work to be done. the store is.
“It is during early childhood that our brains develop faster than at any other stage of life and our experiences, relationships and environment at that very early age lay the foundation that shapes the rest of our lives.
“This needs to become an issue that is embraced by the whole of society – being talked about in boardrooms and sports clubs across the country and not just supposed to be the domain of parent and baby groups or nurseries.
“Everyone has a part to play in raising the next generation and that’s why conversations like the one taking place today at Maidenhead Rugby Club are so important.”
Kate’s work on the campaign has taken her across the country this year, even to the boardroom to get companies on board.
In March, she visited NatWest Bank’s headquarters in the City of London, where some of the UK’s biggest companies – NatWest, Unilever, Aviva, Deloitte, IKEA, Co-op, The LEGO Group and Iceland – gathered for a royal round. table worth billions.
Describing the early years as a “golden opportunity to transform our future life outcomes,” she told the assembled leaders it was time to think “radically” to create a workforce that is “resilient and flexible and capable of deal with differences’. others’ because ‘the healthy development of our children depends on healthy adults’.
She said, “We need the ability and capacity to be self-aware enough to manage our own behaviors and actions, to build meaningful relationships with each other.
“We need to have the ability to handle things like stress and conflict, adapt to change and stay motivated when faced with challenges.
“This stems from our social and emotional skills, the foundation of which is laid in childhood.”
The princess emphasized that individual relationships and connections are “essential to collaboration and a core element of your company’s culture and functionality.”
The royal family said there was not enough emphasis on building environments that nurture social and emotional skills.
That same month, her crusade took her to the frozen aisle of Iceland when she visited a branch of the supermarket giant in Aylesbury, Bucks, where she chatted with chairman Richard Walker.
During a conversation filmed for the Instagram account of the Prince and Princess of Wales, she discussed with Mr Walker how companies can support children and their carers to build the foundations of essential employability skills ‘in the first years of our lives’.
In the clip, Kate tells Mr. Walker, “You hear over and over again that these soft skills, you know, the creativity, the collaboration, the critical thinking, the flexibility, the resilience.
“You know, these are things that you would hear that companies are looking for and it’s really interesting to see how, actually, so often, the foundations for those skills are laid in the earliest years of our lives.”
Mr Walker added: ‘Watching the Shaping Us campaign and reading some of the science behind it really challenged my thinking and made me think about what else we can do, personally as a parent, but also as a company.’
A nodding, smiling Kate added, “That’s the point, is that so many of your employees but also customers, their parents, their grandparents, we all know it’s important to take care of their well-being because those are the people who raise children today.’