The Princess of Wales has said her early years campaign goes beyond “raising kids” and is also about “shaping our society” and creating a “more nurturing world”.
Speaking to radio presenter Roman Kemp, Kate said highlighting the importance of early childhood was not about putting “extra pressure” on parents, but saying they needed “help reprioritising family life”.
The princess launched her Shaping Us initiative on Tuesday, an ambitious campaign described as her “life’s work” and aimed at raising the profile of the crucial period of a child’s development, from pregnancy to the age of five.
The campaign has the support of a number of famous people, including rapper Professor Green, presenter Fearne Cotton, former Saturdays singer Rochelle Humes and Lionesses’ captain Leah Williamson.
Kate’s comments were made in a filmed discussion with Kemp last month in the grounds of the Hertfordshire home of the Capital FM presenter’s parents, Spandau Ballet star Martin Kemp and singer Shirlie Holliman.
The future Queen tells the host of Capital’s breakfast show: “This isn’t just about raising kids.
“It’s about shaping our futures, shaping our society, creating a happier, healthier, more nurturing world for us all to live in.”
As they walk Kate agrees with the suggestion from Kemp that as a mother the issue of early years was “something that you wanted to learn for you, as well as putting it out there”.
When Kemp commented on families “struggling” with raising children and the cost-of-living crisis, Kate replied: “The pressures that we all face are different.
“Whilst raising the importance of early childhood, this isn’t about putting extra pressure on families.
“It’s actually saying they need the support and help reprioritising family life, home life, and all that it takes really in raising children today – because it is tough.”
Kate has been publicising her Shaping Us campaign with a series of events and video releases this week, and goes on to say in the film: “The relationships in a family or that are surrounding a child is so important.
“The environment in which you bring up a child is as important, as well as the experiences that you engage them with.
“It’s not about the number of toys that they’ve got or the number of, sort of, trips that you go on with them. It’s just making sure that they have got the right emotional support around them, that comes from the adults in their lives.”
Kemp has previously spoken candidly about his mental health struggles after the death of best friend and Capital FM producer Joe Lyons.
In 2021 he presented a BBC Three documentary looking at the mental health crisis affecting young men and said he had considered taking his own life after suffering with depression for more than a decade.
In the film he told Kate: “And what I found was, I ended up not kind of talking to people about suicide, and not talking to people about ‘this is how you make your mental health better’, I started talking to people about friendship – and genuinely that’s the thing that will save lives.”
