Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, launched a new challenge associated with her Shaping Us campaign on February 4 when she shared the ultimate throwback photo on the Royal Foundation Center for Early Childhood Instagram page. The photo shows baby Kate reaching out to touch the face of her father, Michael Middleton.
In the photo, little Kate wears an adorable white outfit trimmed in lace and dotted with what appear to be small yellow flowers, proving she was a style icon from the start. Meanwhile, her father Michael can be seen smiling at his young daughter as she reaches for his face with her tiny hands. The sweet photo was taken by the princess’ mother, Carole Middleton.
“‘Faces are a baby’s best toy,” Kate captioned the photo before sharing more details on #ShapingUs. “On Tuesday, we launched #ShapingUs to raise awareness of the vital role our early years play in shaping our lives. This weekend, we’d like you all to spend some time with your friends, family, colleagues and communities. to talk about your early childhood and how they shaped your lives. I hope you’ll also consider joining me in sharing a photo of yourself before your fifth birthday to help with those conversations and to share smiles and memories too.
Kate established the Royal Foundation Center for Early Childhood in 2021 as part of the Royal Foundation, through which she and her husband Prince William carry out much of their charity work. For the Princess of Wales, the Royal Foundation Center for Early Childhood allows her to focus on the early years of a child’s life, which can be key to preparing them for a happy and healthy adult life .
The princess shared more details about the center’s mission in a video she posted to launch the new Instagram. “Our early childhood, the period from pregnancy to age five, fundamentally shapes the rest of our lives,” she said. “But as a society, we are currently devoting much more of our time and energy to the future life. Today the Royal Foundation Center for Early Childhood is launching a new campaign, Shaping Us, to raise awareness of the impact that we can have on life when we build a supportive and nurturing world around children and those who care for them.”
In 2015, Kate spoke at the Head Teacher School Conference in London, where she gave a speech revealing why she is passionate about advocating for children’s mental health. “I’m often asked why I decided to dedicate time to children’s mental health,” Kate said. “My answer might be similar to many of yours.”
“I was lucky,” she said. “My parents and my teachers gave me a wonderful and safe childhood where I always knew that I was loved, valued and listened to. But of course, many children are not so lucky. Since the beginning of my working in areas like substance abuse, for example, I have seen time and time again that the roots of poor mental health in adulthood are almost always present in the unresolved challenges of childhood.”
