The Princess of Wales visited the University of East London today to mark the launch of a new resource for those who work with babies, young children and their families. Foundations for Life: A Guide to Social and Emotional Development has been designed to strengthen understanding across the early years system and shows why social and emotional development matters.
The Princess is not only a committed expert in the field of early years development, but her devotion has previously been described by aides as “her life’s work”. Following her arrival at the university, the Princess, who was dressed in a beige tailored suit and kept her G, C and L necklace close to her heart, met families, researchers and students, alongside leaders in further and higher education from across the UK who will ensure the new guide is embedded within their teaching, training and professional practice.
Catherine’s latest outing comes after Kensington Palace announced that she will travel to Italy next week in her first solo overseas trip in over four years as she expands her early years work across the globe.
Catherine will visit the city of Reggio Emilia in northern Italy from May 13-14, where she will spend time with educators, parents, children and business leaders.
The Reggio approach also emphasises nature as the third teacher alongside caregivers and the environment that surrounds the child, which is part of the reason Catherine has been drawn to the approach.
Her last official solo visit in February 2022 followed a similar pattern, with her visiting Copenhagen, Denmark, to learn from the country’s world-leading approach to early childhood development.
Catherine last travelled overseas with work in December 2022, when she went to Boston, USA, with her husband for his Earthshot Prize award ceremony. She has also conducted two brief trips to Marseille, France, for the Rugby World Cup in the autumn of 2023 and went to the Crown Prince of Jordan’s wedding in Amman in June 2023; these are not considered official foreign tours.
Kensington Palace has described the trip as a fact-finding mission, during which the Princess will explore the philosophical foundations of the Reggio Emilia approach. This infamous educational framework is celebrated for prioritising a child’s environment, community, and personal relationships as the core drivers of their development.
A Kensington Palace spokesperson said: “The princess is very much looking forward to visiting Italy next week and seeing first-hand how the Reggio Emilia approach creates environments where nature and loving human relationships come together to support children’s development.
“As the Centre for Early Childhood continues to build its work internationally, this visit is an opportunity to connect the Shaping Us Framework with leading global approaches, and to highlight a shared understanding that it is in these early years, through the natural world and the warmth of human connection, that we begin to lay the foundations for a resilient and healthy future.”
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