Princess Kate Goes Business Casual in a Sleek Cream Blazer and Pants
Catherine, Princess of Wales, launched her new Business Taskforce for Early Childhood today in London.
The Business Taskforce will play an essential role in the Princess of Wales’s work to “transform the way in which society prioritises and supports children and the ecosystems around them in their earliest years,” per a Kensington Palace statement.
Dressed in an elegant business casual ensemble, the royal delivered a speech at the inaugural meeting of the project at partner NatWest’s headquarters. Her look was composed of a sleek cream blazer over a white scoop-neck top, black pleated trousers, and black suede pumps. She accessorized simply with a black belt with a gold buckle, gold hoop earrings, and her sapphire-and-diamond engagement ring from Prince William. She kept her glam breezy, with rosy makeup and a wavy blowout.
“From pregnancy to age five, our brains develop at an amazing rate, faster than any other age. During this time, we lay the foundations and building blocks for life. It is when we learn to understand ourselves, understand others, and learn about the world in which we live,” Kate started her speech. “The way we develop, through our experiences, relationships, and surroundings at that very young age, lays the scaffolding for our abilities and capabilities as we grow, and into adulthood. This time really is, therefore, a golden opportunity to transform our future life outcomes.”
Princess Kate founded the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood in 2021 and launched the Shaping Us campaign this January 2023. Her latest project follows more than a decade of work by her on early childhood and mental wellness.
“We need the ability and capacity to be self-aware enough to manage our own behaviors and actions, in order to build meaningful relationships with each other. We need the ability to manage things like stress and conflict, to be adaptable to change and stay motivated when faced with challenges. This comes from our social and emotional skills, the foundations of which are laid in childhood,” Kate continued. “Despite however the critical importance of these skills, not only in our working lives, but also in our private lives, too, not enough emphasis is placed on building these capabilities and building environments which nurture these skills, as we grow and develop through childhood.”
She then suggested that we must do two things to transform society for generations to come. The first is to prioritize creating working environments that provide support and training, and encourage social and emotional well-being. The second is to make “a more concentrated effort in supporting the social and emotional development of our youngest children. Because as with most human development, the key time to build these social and emotional skills in the first place is in the first five years.”
Top leaders in the field of education were among those present at the event.
“I am so grateful for you all joining me on this journey, and I’m so looking forward to the discussion this morning to hear your thoughts and ideas on this important topic,” Kate concluded.
