by he Shaping Us campaign is getting a royally fashionable start.
Today, the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood launched the Shaping Us campaign, which continues Princess Kate’s work in the realm of early childhood development (the field has long been the princess’s passion project).
To kick off the initiative, which aims to increase public awareness on the significance of a child’s first five years of life, Catherine, Princess of Wales, headed out for a tour in Leeds this morning.
The outing took the royal to Kirkgate Market, where she met with vendors and community members, and the University of Leeds, where she spoke with students on the Childhood Studies degree program.
For the occasion, Kate wore a monochromatic forest green ensemble composed of a double-breasted long coat in a deep pine hue. She layered the outerwear over a white knit sweater and a pair of slouchy black suede boots. For accessories, the princess matched her mini handbag to her coat, toting a mossy green purse, and opted for chunky gold hoop earrings.
Along with the campaign, the Royal Foundation Centre dropped a 90-second Claymation film about a little girl named Layla as she develops from an infant to a five-year-old, highlighting how her interactions with people and her environment shape her life. The short film will be screened at theaters in the United Kingdom starting on Friday.
“The way we develop, through our experiences, relationships, and surroundings during our early childhood, fundamentally shapes our whole lives. It affects everything from our ability to form relationships and thrive at work, to our mental and physical well-being as adults and the way we parent our own children,” the royal said in a press release statement. “These are the most preventative years. By focusing our collective time, energy, and resources to build a supportive, nurturing world around the youngest members of our society and those caring for them, we can make a huge difference to the health and happiness of generations to come.”
She concluded, “All of society has a role to play in this, even if you are not directly involved in a child’s life, because we are all responsible for building a more compassionate world in which our children can grow, learn and live. In these difficult times, it is more important than ever to help support parents and caregivers provide loving, safe and secure homes for their babies and young children to thrive.”
