THE POWER OF BEING PRESENT

The Princess of Wales urges parents to give children their full attention as she makes a powerful call for emotional connection

- EMILY NASH

She has long championed the importance of connecting with nature, and now the Princess of Wales is urging us to connect more closely with one another. "Look the people you care about in the eye and be fully there - because that is where love begins," she writes, in a powerful personal essay.

The future Queen, who has made supporting early childhood the cornerstone of her public work, warns that our digital devices have become “sources of constant distraction, fragmenting our focus and preventing us from giving others the undivided attention that relationships require”.

She writes: “We sit together in the same room while our minds are scattered across dozens of apps, notifications and feeds. We're physically present but mentally absent, unable to fully engage with the people right in front of us.”

Kate, who has spent years learning about the science behind early years development, describes “our undivided attention” as “the most precious gift we can give another person”.

And in what royal sources describe as a “clear call to action”, the Princess writes: “The evidence is clear: if you invest in just one thing to help you and your family thrive, invest in the relationships you have with each other.”