Kate presents her plan to help children thrive

The Princess of Wales received support from her husband ahead of the launch of her young years campaign, but joked that William's Valentine's Day roses might be missing.

Kate marked the start of her groundbreaking project with a visit to Leeds, known for its Child Friendly Leeds initiative, and toured the city's Kirkgate Market to meet market stalls and the public and hear their views on her project.

When surveying parents who go shopping, she said that “they feel that this is a problem for them” and praised Leeds for its “impressive” initiative to bring children and young people into the “heart of the city”.

Her “Shaping Us” campaign has been described as the Princess’s “life’s work” and aims to highlight the importance of the formative years in a child’s life.

In a video message to mark the launch, Kate said: “Our early childhood, from pregnancy to the age of five, fundamentally shapes the rest of our lives.

“But as a society we currently devote much more time and energy to later life.

“Today the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood is launching a new campaign called 'Shaping Us' to raise awareness of the life-changing impact we can have when we build a supportive, nurturing world around children and their carers.”

When Kate stopped by florist Neil Ashcroft, she admired his display of flowers and with Valentine's Day only two weeks away, he asked, “William will buy you some roses?” and then cheekily offered her a discount on the flowers.

After presenting her with a bouquet of hyacinths, which he claimed were her favorite flowers, the stall owner said: “I suggested William buy her roses and she said, 'I don't think he will.'”

William supported his wife when he attended an event with Kate on Monday evening where the princess met supporters of her project and the first screening of a claymation film depicting the development of a young girl from the age of zero to five.

During her tour, Kate was mobbed by shoppers who were unaware of the royal visit to the Victorian market, and one pensioner referred to the future queen as a “darling” while speaking to them.

Shirley Wainwright, 75, from Harrogate, said she made Kate laugh when she told her: “I didn't know you were coming darling, it was a complete surprise.”

“I was just coming from Harrogate by bus when I met you.”

The king was pelted with eggs during several official visits and the princess experienced the unwanted attention of someone whistling at her. However, she did not react and it is not clear whether she heard the sound.

After the tour, Kate took part in a discussion with a group of people involved in Child Friendly Leeds. The project was launched in 2012 to encourage the city to make Leeds the best place for young people to grow up, in the belief that this will bring social and economic benefits to the community.

She told them: “It is really impressive to have children and young people here in the heart of the city and the community.”

Addressing the group, which included representatives from West Yorkshire Police and other local bodies, she said of Shaping Us: “Having chatted to some of the parents downstairs, we realised that this was a problem for them.”

Kate later visited the University of Leeds and met with students from the Childhood Studies course to talk about her ‘Shaping Us’ campaign during a screening of the project’s animated film.

Speaking to a student about his dissertation on the impact of the pandemic on schools and families, the Princess said Covid had created “enormous challenges” in children's language development and social skills.

She added: “They did not have the opportunities that the film shows that are necessary.”

Kate told another student, “Creative play is so fundamental to the basics of life. Being able to build relationships through play is really important in breaking down some of the barriers.

“But it’s also a way to express yourself.”

One student said she was looking into the role of outdoor play in childhood, and the royal visitor said: “It's something that's really close to my heart,” adding that she would like to see a study on the impact of outdoor learning on children's mental wellbeing.

Emma Joynes, a 20-year-old childhood studies student, said after the visit: “I think she's done a great job of raising awareness through campaigns and school visits. I think that's really important. Childhood studies are quite stigmatised.”