The Duchess of Cambridge during the call earlier this week. Photo: Kensington Palace
The Duchess of Cambridge has always taken an active interest in children’s education. Back in November 2020, she shared a passionate speech to unveil key findings from the landmark study of early years education that she spearheaded. In the video posted on the official Kensington Palace Instagram account, the Duchess shared a glimpse of the results, while calling for greater action to protect children in the early stages of their development. Commissioned by The Royal Foundation, the study (the largest of its kind in the UK), found that only one in four people recognize the crucial importance of the first five years of a child’s life.
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Now, she’s referenced those important findings again during a virtual call with fellow parents in England – and alluded to the juggling act countless mums and dads up and down the country are attempting to navigate while schools are once again closed. For the occasion, the Duchess, who wore a coordinated all-green outfit with simple gold hoops and a gold necklace, spoke to three people whose children attend Roe Green Junior School in Brent (where Kate launched her Mentally Healthy Schools programme in 2018), about the difficulty of homeschooling. “I know how challenging it is juggling work, home life, school life and everything else that you as parents are doing, so really well done,” she said.
Kate and William, whose eldest children Prince George and Princess Charlotte are doing their lessons at home, are juggling helping their children with schoolwork with their remote royal duties. “Fingers crossed, let’s hope for the positivity as you’ve all been saying,” she said on the call. “Make sure everyone looks after themselves – it’s very hard to prioritize but it’s definitely needed now more than ever.”
During the UK’s third national lockdown, protecting parents’ mental wellbeing is crucial. Kate’s landmark study – which yielded five key insights – found that 90% see mental health and wellbeing as critical to a child’s development. Sadly, it also found that parental loneliness has dramatically increased during the Covid-19 pandemic. The survey is just the start of the Duchess’s important work, and there’s more to come on her crucial findings this year.
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Originally published on Vogue.co.uk
