The often-silent Kensington Palace has made a rare statement today about the Princess of Wales, indicating that she is very much working from home albeit not undertaking public-facing duties as she recovers from abdominal surgery in January.
The work of Kate’s life is early years work, zooming in on children under the age of five and their development. She has been dedicated to research on the subject for years, and apparently is still working on research from home during her convalescence.
The Telegraph reports that Kate’s work while she’s been at home post-surgery has included studying research on improving the lives of babies, and that a major study on the matter will be released this week. Kate’s Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood funded a four-month long trial of a baby observation tool, which can be used to spot signs of social and emotional development in young children. Results of the study are scheduled to be published imminently.
“The princess has been kept updated throughout the process,” a spokesperson for Kensington Palace said in a statement.
The tool focuses on a baby’s social behaviors like eye contact and facial expression to help practitioners and families better grasp how babies express their feelings. The results were “overwhelmingly positive,” and Kate apparently suggested the tool could be used in the U.K. after seeing a similar system during a royal visit to Denmark in 2022. The trial in the U.K. lasted four months.
Writing in a piece for The Telegraph that same year, Kate emphasized the importance of the first five years of a child’s life, and how critical they are to ensuring a “healthier and happier society”: “There are fantastic examples of what can be achieved when we recognize the unique potential of early childhood and build a safe and loving world around a child,” she wrote. “But not enough is being done. If we are going to tackle the sorts of complex challenges we face today like homelessness, violence, and addiction, which are so often underpinned by poverty and poor mental health, we have to fully appreciate those most preventative years and do everything we can to nurture our children and those who care for them.”
As Kate continues her early years work, albeit from home and not out and about, The Telegraph also pointed to Easter Sunday in 10 days’ time as a possible return to public life for the princess. Every Easter, the royal family typically walks into St. George’s Chapel at Windsor for a church service together, a photo op royal followers have come to look forward to.
“She is doing well,” a source told The Daily Beast. “Everything is on track. Easter will be the big bang moment.”
A former Buckingham Palace staffer told The Daily Beast that Easter was “the natural choice” for Kate to make an appearance, and that her attendance would provide a “powerful dose of continuity.”
