Princess Kate makes major announcement in new video message
Kensington Palace have released a new picture of Princess Kate (Image: Josh Shinner)
The Princess of Wales has spoken of the importance of “spending quality time outdoors” in a digital age as she launches a new initiative to examine how nature can support a child’s healthy development and lifelong wellbeing. Catherine, who has championed the natural environment for its ability to keep us physically, mentally, and spiritually healthy, has outlined her vision for the work in a short video message.
She says: “New scientific research increasingly shows just how important nature is for our psychological and physiological wellbeing. Nature is such an extraordinary environment for us all and, in this tech-driven, digital age, spending quality time outdoors has never been more important.
“This project is about exploring how nature, creativity and relationships can best support the healthy development of babies and young children. We believe that taking a whole-child approach is important, and nature becomes a wonderful place to explore how we can successfully nurture the social and emotional skills that underpin lifelong health and wellbeing.
“My hope is that through this practical, nature-based research, we can build supportive environments that help make nature more accessible, benefiting babies, young children and their families across the UK.”
The princess filmed the video on a visit to Cornwall yesterday, where she went to learn more about the potential of nature-based learning in the earliest years of life. Her husband, the Prince of Wales, accompanied her on the visit as he is taking a keen interest in the project, especially as he runs the Duchy of Cornwall, which is supporting the new initiative.
Three new portraits of the princess, taken by royal photographer Josh Shinner in Cornwall on Thursday, have been released by Kensington Palace to coincide with the announcement. Wearing the same fair isle jumper and dark green jacket, the images are all taken in a woodland setting.
Catherine has commissioned The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood to take forward new work examining how nature-rich environments can support the social and emotional development of babies and young children across the UK, laying the foundations for a new programme set to launch next year.
The work, supported by founding partner The Duchy of Cornwall, will combine research, practical testing and real-world learning to deepen our understanding of how nature, creativity and relationships can help children develop the social and emotional skills that underpin lifelong health and wellbeing.
The announcement today comes as new polling, commissioned by the Centre, shows that 84% of parents agree that spending time in nature helps their child’s wellbeing and development, while only 33% report their child spends time in nature every day.
Almost two-thirds (62%) want their child to spend more time in nature overall, and 56% want more nature-based experiences through childcare and education.
The Princess of Wales visits Cornwall to learn more about nature-based environments (Image: Josh Shinner)
The project combines two of the princess’s primary focuses, early childhood and nature.
She has been campaigning to raise awareness of the importance of a child’s first five years for well over a decade, and earlier this year she visited Reggio Emilia in Italy to learn how the city approaches early years education.
She also visited a forest kindergarten in Denmark in 2022, where she saw first-hand how outdoor learning environments can support young children’s development.
These visits have helped inform The Princess’s growing interest in how environments, relationships, creativity and connection work together to shape children’s earliest years and lifelong wellbeing.
Nature has become an increasingly important focus for Catherine, after she found solace in spending time outdoors during her cancer treatment. Since then, she has sought to highlight the benefits of nature for wellbeing and connection.
Through projects such as the Mother Nature series, and in her reflections following her visit to Italy, Her Royal Highness has spoken about the importance of creating the conditions in which people, and particularly children, can thrive.
This project will bring together academics, early years practitioners, charities and environmental organisations to better understand how children’s access to nature can support healthy social and emotional development during the early years.
