Back to school Duchess talks to students about parenting

The Duchess of Cambridge has gone back to school for a science lesson in parenting, teaching teenagers how they can one day bring up the next generation of happy babies.

The Duchess, who has three young children and has dedicated her Royal work to early years, told Year Eight pupils of the importance of play, speech and relationships in a baby’s life, saying: “The more relationships they have, the better.”

She sat in on a lesson at Nower Hill High School in Harrow, north London, as students showed off what they had learned about early childhood development.

It is hoped that the lessons, part of a research project by charity foundation Kindred2 and Oxford University, will stick with young people as they grow up to become parents themselves.

The Duchess told students: “I think what we are learning is that all of the people in a baby’s life are important.”