Kate Middleton highlights significance of early childhood relationships

Kate Middleton attended back-to-back events in London on Thursday to bring attention to Mental Health Awareness Week.

The Princess of Wales met with more young people, after a picnic with school children earlier in the week.

Early childhood development is a passion the princess , who frequently speaks out about the issue, as well oversees several charitable organizations focused on helping children and young families.

Princess Kate visits England’s first children’s charity

On Thursday morning, Middleton focused on prioritizing loving relationships for children, especially when they are experiencing such hardships as trauma or grief.

The princess emphasized the importance of caregivers and those in the care system, as well as family and friends, in a child’s life — and referred to them as “kinship carers”.

First, Middleton went to the Foundling Museum, where she has been a patron since 2019. The institution is based on the UK’s first children’s charity, through the 18th-century Foundling Hospital. The venue opened in 1739 as a safe home for children who face the risk of abandonment, and still serves as such today.

Princess Kate endorsed the Foundling Museum’s Securing the Future fundraiser and its goal to raise $5.7 million to acquire the Foundling Hospital Collection for the next 999 years, as per People.

“Their ground-breaking work to support each care-experienced young person to fundamentally change the future direction of their lives is one that means the world to me,” Middleton said Wednesday before the visit.

“Importantly, it shows that it is never too late to make a difference, and that by providing the right support, we can enable those who have faced real difficulties to overcome their challenges and achieve their goals.”

The Kinship charity

Next, Middleton went to a support group session held at the Kinship charity, a group of people who are mothers and fathers, aunts and uncles, and grandparents to children who are having trouble connecting with others.

The princess chatted with the members about how the organization can make a difference in supporting “kinship carers”, of which there are 10,000 in the UK.

The programs offer free training, one-on-one support, supportive peer groups, and resources.