Princess of Wales is all smiles as she poses for photos with students after taking part in art lesson to mark start of Children’s Mental Health Week
- The Princess of Wales, 41, spoke to primary school pupils about connections
- Kate kicked off Place2Be’s Children’s Mental Health Week today
- Read More: Princess of Wales surprises mother who was told EIGHT times her premature baby might die – only for the little one to defy doctors each time
The Princess of Wales was all smiles as she posed for pictures with primary school pupils after taking part in an arts and crafts lesson in Bethnal Green, east London.
The royal, 41, paid a visit to St John’s CE Primary School to kick off Place2Be’s Children’s Mental Health Week.
The mother-of-three – who has previously been dubbed the ‘children’s princess’ by royal fans – donned a blue apron over her striped Arket jumper as she joined pupils to do some colouring in.
Following the visit, the Prince and Princess of Wales’s official Instagram account shared a photo of Kate with a group of youngsters.
The Prince and Princess of Wales’s official Instagram account shared this photo of Kate and pupils following her visit to a primary school in Bethnal Green, east London
Kate was pictured with two other pupils as they held up a cardboard frame promoting the mental health campaign.
Although the Princess’s new Shaping Us campaign focuses on the first five years of a child’s life, Kate used today’s engagement to broaden the conversation to mental health in adulthood too.
The Instagram image was captioned: ‘Proudly supporting Children’s Mental Health Week with Place2Be.
‘While our first five years are crucial to shaping who we become, the continued importance of connecting with others and prioritising mental health is vital in laying the foundations for healthy, happy adults.’
The post amassed over 10,000 ‘likes’ in the first hour and royal fans praised the Princess for the initiative.
One replied: ‘I can’t think of anything more important into which the world must invest time, effort and resources. Thank you, Princess of Wales!’
Another added: ‘So proud of my Princess’s dedication and hard work to secure a better future for every child in the nation.’
‘This is amazing,’ a third gushed. ‘Thanks for all you do!’
The Princess of Wales said she was proud to be supporting Place2Be’s Children’s Mental Health Week, which begins today
The Princess of Wales sat down with pupils at St John’s CE Primary School to take part in some colouring in
During her visit to the primary school, one pupil told the Princess that ‘connecting releases our emotions to other people that we care about’.
Another told Kate that they manage difficult feelings by ‘taking deep breaths in’ and then ‘drinking a glass of water’.
Kate encouraged the children to keep talking about their feelings and to continue to check in on each other.
‘I’m delighted to be supporting children’s mental health week yet again,’ she said. ‘It’s been wonderful to speak to so many children here about the importance of connections and the important people in their lives too.’
The Princess has supported Children’s Mental Health Week since it was launched by Place2Be in 2015. The theme of this year’s is ‘Let’s Connect’.
Kate, 41, discussed the importance of opening up about how you feel as she sat and coloured with the children at St John’s CE Primary School in Bethnal Green, east London
The Princess of Wales donned a blue apron to protect her clothing as she made paper chains with the children
In a video showing the royal building paperchains with the pupils, she smiled during the candid chat with her young audience
The mother-of-three was effortlessly elegant in a chic striped black and white jumper
The charity’s chief rxecutive, Catherine Roche, said: ‘We are delighted to have the support of our Royal Patron HRH The Princess of Wales to help shine a spotlight on the importance of supporting mental health from an early age.
‘As the children of St John’s Primary have shown, taking part in activities and having positive conversations that help us connect with others, make us feel so much better.
‘This Children’s Mental Health Week we are encouraging everyone to make time to connect.’
The Princess’ latest engagement comes after a busy week for the royal following the launch of her Shaping Us early childhood years campaign.
Last week, Kate described Shaping Us as her ‘life’s work’ at a Bafta screening to debut a short film following a fictional child called Layla from birth to the age of five.
One pupil told the Princess of Wales that they manage difficult feelings by ‘taking deep breaths in’ and then ‘drinking a glass of water’
One pupil at the school told Kate that ‘connecting releases our emotions to other people that we care about’
The Princess of Wales outlined the scope of her campaign, promoted with a series of events and videos, describing it as a long-term project beginning with how a child develops and the importance of the formative years.
She said it will go on to ‘explore in more depth the importance of a child’s social and emotional world’ and the significance of relationships and ‘surroundings and experiences’.
‘And of course, by understanding our own childhoods – what has shaped our own beliefs, relationships, behaviours and feelings – we, as adults, are better placed to play our part in positively shaping future generations,’ she added.
Scientific evidence has shown that early experiences can affect children not only socially and emotionally but in their physical development too.
In seven-minute film also released last week, Kate and Capital FM breakfast host Roman Kemp discussed mental wellbeing, relationships and how by nurturing children in the earliest years of their life, society can build a nation of healthy, happy adults.
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