The Princess of Wales was ready for work when she arrived at Maidenhead Rugby Club in her tracksuit gear this morning.
Sporty Kate, 41, looked sporty in a turquoise rugby jersey and smart navy slacks, with sparkly white sneakers, as she hit the ground, where she is set to continue her early years crusade – as new data shows increased awareness of early years development since she I defended the case.
The mother-of-three, known for her love of activism, has been patron of rugby football union since 2020, when she took over the role from her son-in-law, Prince Harry, after he stepped down as a senior royal in 2020. .
Arriving at the club this morning as the sun sets on it, Kate looked poised but ready to start activities, with her brunette locks tied into a sleepover ponytail.
Today she combines her passion for the sport with the development of the early years as she continues her work on the Shaping Us campaign – and will get stuck into training with the players as she takes part in training on the field.
Most agile rugby player ever? Kate looked like a ballerina as she caught herself practicing on the field at Maidenhead Rugby Club this afternoon
Kate’s visit comes as the Royal Early Childhood Foundation released statistics showing awareness of the importance of early years development has increased over the past year – but there is still much work to be done.
A public opinion poll commissioned by the Foundation and conducted by Ipsos UK showed that last year, 17% of people identified the period between conception and age five as a crucial time for shaping a child’s future.
However, this year that percentage has increased by 2% to 19% overall.
Despite the general increase in awareness, the data also showed that it was mostly women who identified the age group as important in shaping a child’s future, at 24% – compared to just 14% of men.
Arriving today, former England international Ugo Money was greeted by the princess with a warm smile as she exclaimed: ‘Hi! Nice to see you’ and extended her hand to shake his hand.
The rugby star, a father and advocate for Shaping Us, asked the princess how it was, to which Kate replied: “Very well, thank you.”
She continued, “Thank you very much for joining.”
Kate added that she was looking forward to having some “good conversations” throughout the day with the male players about fatherhood and how sports clubs can improve children’s development in the early years.
Her visit to the club follows a trip to the Windsor Family Hub on Tuesday, where she met the parents and children the center has supported with resources, education and mental health help.
Kate will also chat with local and professional rugby players about their childhood experiences, and how they shaped the successful athletes they are today.
The princess hung out in training with former England player Danny Kerr and looked into her element
Kate’s gleaming white coaches are soon covered in grass as she is caught doing rugby practice with the players
The graceful princess looked more like a ballerina than a rugby player as she leapt through the air with graceful precision
The focus on the princess’s face was immeasurable as she reached out to catch the ball
Kate, a mother of three, who is known for her love of sports, couldn’t stop smiling as she took part in the workouts.
Sporting a chic yet practical look, the mother of three was ready for action with her hair pulled back into a tight ponytail
Falling in! The Princess of Wales donned her sports gear as she arrived at Maidenhead Rugby Club this afternoon
As she strolls with Ugo Moneyy, the princess flashes her sparkly white Lululemon shoes
The princess appeared to be in her element as she chatted with Ugo Money on her arrival at Maidenhead Rugby Club
Kate spoke with Mooney, the former England player, who is an ardent champion of the Shaping Us campaign
The princess appeared to be in her element as she chatted with Ugo Money on her arrival at Maidenhead Rugby Club
In addition, you’ll chat with male gamers about fatherhood, as well as how local resources like sports clubs can enhance children’s childhood experiences.
In particular, Kate will focus on ways in which clubs can create a sense of community and support network in young people’s lives.
During her visit, the princess will also work with Ugo Money, a former England rugby star and father of two who championed the Shaping Us campaign, and former teammate Danny Kerr.
Sy Trove, founder of the mental health charity Brave Mind, is also at 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 supporting mental health in their community.
The “Shakeelna” campaign was launched through the Royal Early Childhood Foundation Center in January 2023, with the aim of improving children’s early experiences in order to enhance their chances in later life.
Following today’s tally, Christian Guy, Director of the Foundation, said: “It is encouraging to see levels 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.
During our early childhood, our brains develop faster than at any other stage of life, and our experiences, relationships, and surroundings at that very early age lay the foundations that shape the rest of our lives.
This should become an issue embraced by the whole of society – talked about in boardrooms and sports clubs across the country and not just supposed to be the domain of parent-child groups or preschool settings.
“Everyone has a role to play in raising the next generation which is why conversations, such as the one due at Maidenhead Rugby Club today, are so important.”
Kate’s campaign work has taken her across the country this year, and she’s even gone to the boardroom to bring companies on board.
In March, she visited the headquarters of NatWest Bank in the City of London where she brought together some of the UK’s biggest companies – NatWest, Unilever, Aviva, Deloitte, IKEA, Co-op, The LEGO Group and Iceland – for a royal tour-deal worth the 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” in order to create a workforce that is “flexible, resilient, and able to work through differences with each other” because the healthy development of our children depends to healthy adults.”
She said: ‘We need to be able and able to be self-aware enough to manage our own behaviors and actions, in order to build meaningful relationships with each other.
We need to be able to manage things like stress and conflict, to be able to adapt to change and stay motivated when faced with challenges.
“This comes from our social and emotional skills, the foundations of which are laid in childhood.”
The princess stressed that one-on-one relationships and connections were “vital to collaboration and an essential component of the culture and functionality of your business.”
The Royal Family said not enough emphasis was placed on building environments that nurtured social and emotional skills.
That same month, her crusade took her to Iceland’s frozen lane where she visited a branch of Aylesbury supermarket giant, Pax, where she chatted with chairman Richard Walker.
During a conversation filmed for the Prince and Princess of Wales’ Instagram account, she and Mr Walker discussed how businesses can support children and their carers to help lay the foundations for key employability skills ‘in the early years of our lives’.
In the clip, Kate tells Mr Walker: “You hear over and over again that these soft skills are, you know, creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, flexibility and resilience.
“You know, these are the things you hear companies look for and it’s really exciting to see how, oftentimes, the foundations of these skills are built in the early years of our lives.”
Mr Walker added: “Looking at the ‘Shaping Us’ campaign and reading some of the science behind it really challenged my thinking and got me thinking about what more we could do, personally as a parent, but also actually as a business.
‘Here’s the thing,’ added Kate, smiling, nodding, ‘is that a lot of your employees and also customers and their parents and their grandparents, we all know it’s important to look after their health because those are the people raising kids today.’
