Princess of hearts 'WE MUST ACT FOR THE CHILDREN'

Kate spread her magic with young hospice patients

- Judy Kean

The Princess of Wales is hitting her stride after returning to work by issuing a powerful message about the importance of fostering emotional and social skills in people today, especially under-fives.

“We must invest in humankind,” Kate wrote in a heartfelt foreword to a report into the development of children. She went on to say that meant “getting much better at acting with compassion and empathy towards one another”. She had done just that a couple of days earlier when she showed great kindness during an official visit to Wales.

Kate, 43, was not only caring as she interacted with children at a hospice, but she went out of her way to greet a young girl waiting in the cold outside a factory she visited. She stopped her car as she and her entourage were leaving, running over to the youngster to chat for a few minutes.

Putting children first has been a crucial part of Kate’s work since she joined the royal family nearly 14 years ago. Since 2021, she’s focused on the important part the early childhood years play in people’s development, including setting up the Royal Foundation’s Centre for Early Childhood.

While she stepped back from most of her royal duties last year following her cancer diagnosis and ongoing chemotherapy, she kept up with work being done by the centre, reading reports and regularly liaising with staff.