Smiley Kate makes splash calling for a ‘happier world‘
SHELTERING beneath a rainbow brolly, the Duchess of Cambridge planted golden seeds of hope by demanding change in the way children are raised.
The future queen launched her new research centre for early childhood with two engagements in London yesterday.
She said issues caused by inequality, addiction, violence, family breakdown, homelessness and poor mental health were “the social equivalent of climate change” and needed an urgent response.
Wearing an elegant £255 LK Bennett dress, Kate spoke at the London School of Economics. She shared the results of Big Change Starts Small, the first report from her Royal Foundation
Centre for Early Childhood. Kate hoped the new centre would help make it “more common to speak about emotions”, which in turn could enable adults to better understand how affection affects behaviour.
The Duchess, who has spent 10 years working on the issue, insisted she was not looking for a “quick win” but to better prepare the next generation of parents.
She said: “Change really needs to happen and the time for action is now.This is the social equivalent of climate change, where we followed the science for many, many years. And that is what we have to do with early childhood development if we want to build a happier, heathier world.”
Later, at the Kensington Palace cafe, Kate, 39, spoke with Julie Muir, who she met twice at Send women’s prison in Surrey. Ex-prisoner Julie, 40, now works for The Forward Trust charity. She said: “There was one woman prisoner whose childhood was surrounded by drugs and needles. That had a really powerful impact
on the Duchess.”