Kate and Roman Kemp unite! Another famous face backs Princess of Wales’ early years Shaping Us campaign described as the royal’s ‘life’s work’ – as she poses for picture with radio presenter ahead of release of their short film
- The Princess of Wales has won the support of radio presenter Roman Kemp
- Mother-of-three Kate, 41, launched her Shaping Us initiative on Tuesday
- READ: The children’s Princess! Kate shows off her motherly side in new video
The Princess of Wales has found another famous supporter of her Shaping Us campaign – described as her ‘life’s work’ – in radio presenter Roman Kemp.
The duo wrapped up against the winter chill as they filmed a promotional video for her early years initiative, as seen in a newly released picture.
Kemp joins famous fans including presenters Fearne Cotton and Giovanna Fletcher along with reality star Zara McDermott and rapper Professor Green in pledging support for the princess’s project.
The princess launched her Shaping Us initiative on Tuesday, an ambitious campaign aimed at highlighting the importance of early years development of children.
In the short film, due to be released on Friday, Kate and the Capital FM breakfast host will discuss the importance of mental wellbeing, relationships and how by nurturing children in the earliest years of their life, society can build a nation of healthy, happy adults.
Kemp, the son of Spandau Ballet star Martin Kemp, has previously spoken candidly about his mental health struggles after the death of close friend, Capital FM producer Joe Lyons.
The Princess of Wales has found another famous supporter of her Shaping Us campaign – described as her ‘life’s work’ – in radio presenter Roman Kemp
The Princess of Wales has been pictured with radio presenter Roman Kemp wrapped up against the winter chill during the filming of a video to promote her early years campaign
Sharing this photo of Princess Kate, Giovanna Fletcher said: ‘Three years ago I sat down with the Princess of Wales to talk about her passion for the Early Years and her experiences of motherhood’
In 2021, he presented a BBC Three documentary looking at the mental health crisis affecting young men and revealed he had considered taking his own life after battling depression for more than a decade.
Late last year, he praised his therapist for helping him to work through his struggles with being in the spotlight.
He first sought out antidepressants when he was 15 and has since tried many different types of therapy, becoming an outspoken advocate in the UK for seeking help and speaking candidly about mental heath.
Wearing a sheepskin coat, polo neck jumper and gloves, Kate smiled alongside Kemp beside her in the image taken in Hertfordshire last month.
The Princess of Wales outlined the scope of her campaign, promoted this week with a series of events and videos, describing it as a long-term project beginning with how a child develops and the importance of the formative years.
She said it will go on to ‘explore in more depth the importance of a child’s social and emotional world’ and the significance of relationships and ‘surroundings and experiences’.
‘And of course, by understanding our own childhoods – what has shaped our own beliefs, relationships, behaviours and feelings – we, as adults, are better placed to play our part in positively shaping future generations,’ the princess added.
Scientific evidence has shown that early experiences can affect children not only socially and emotionally but in their physical development too.
In a video shared on her Early Childhood Instagram page, which also featured TV presenter Fearne Cotton and rapper Professor Green, the princess said: ‘Many aspects of our lives today have roots in early childhood.’
The video features a number of celebrities, including presenter Giovanna Fletcher and reality TV star Zara McDermott.
They said ‘how we love, how we treat our mental health and how we form relationships’ can all be affected by those early childhood experiences.
Pictured: The Princess of Wales with Roman Kemp at a launch for her initiative
Catherine, Princess of Wales (right) talks with English actress and model Karima McAdams (left) and English singer Professor Green (centre) at her pre-campaign launch event
Among the celebrities to appear in the clip were Fearne Cotton, who spoke about how early childhood could impact mental health
Several famous faces have got involved with the Shaping Us campaign, including Fearne Cotton, Giovanna Fletcher and Zara McDermott
Reality television star Zara McDermott is among the famous faces publicly supporting the project (pictured with the Princess of Wales)
The video was shared with the caption: ‘You may not realise it, but our early childhood shapes everything from the way we form relationships to the way we cope with stress.
After the clip was made public, Fletcher said: ‘Three years ago I sat down with the Princess of Wales to talk about her passion for the Early Years and her experiences of motherhood.
‘I’m so excited to see what this deep dive into early years will mean for so many. Congratulations to the many people involved in pulling this together.’
And Professor Green also spoke of his involvement, saying he was motivated to take part as he works to unpack his own childhood development.
He said: ‘As an adult still unpicking the impact my childhood had on me, still (at times) unknowingly making decisions because of something the much younger me witnessed or experienced, and having a son I want better for, I couldn’t be more proud than to announce my support for the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood.’
Zara revealed she had meetings with the Princess Of Wales to discuss the scheme
Singer and presenter Rochelle Humes said: ‘If there is ever an opportunity to lend my voice and my platform to raising awareness to key topics I’m passionate about, I will always say yes.
‘I was therefore compelled when invited by HRH The Princess of Wales to speak at the launch of Shaping Up.’
Zara McDermott said she was ‘absolutely honoured’ to be involved.
The former Love Island star said: ‘Since working on this campaign and listening to the science, I have realised the staggering link between mental health in adulthood, and childhood development. I always knew it was a factor, but I never realised how much.
‘In fact, there is evidence to suggest that the majority of our adult mental health issues stem from our early childhood. To put this into context, by age 5, our brains rocket to 90% of the size of the adult brain.’
Wearing a sheepskin coat, polo neck jumper and gloves, Kate smiled alongside Kemp beside her in the image taken in Hertfordshire last month
The Princess of Wales showed off her motherly side as she chatted with London school pupils
Earlier today, the Princess of Wales showed off her motherly side as she chatted with London school pupils about their teddy bears and birthday cakes in a new video promoting her Early Years campaign released today.
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Kate appeared in the three-minute long clip which was posted on the Centre for Early Childhood’s YouTube channel this morning, where she spoke with children from St John’s Church of England School, a primary school in east London.
Dressed in a custom-made Burberry pussy-bow blouse and a pair of Spells of Love earrings, the royal mother of three was relaxed and chatty as she spoke to the children about their experiences growing up.
She asked a number of them about their teddy bears, whether the children received cuddles at home and how they celebrated their last birthdays.
Meanwhile she also spoke to the children ‘who had been kind to them’ recently, telling them: ‘We all have feelings don’t we, good feelings and sad feelings. But if we have our friends and family around us, it makes us feel better doesn’t it?’
In the clip, the royal had her hair into a bouncy blow-dry style, tucking part of it behind her shoulder.
She opted for neutral makeup, with a touch of eyeliner and a pop of nude lipgloss.
The princess told one of the pupils she ‘loved her unicorn’, before saying she ‘should have brought her teddy bear with her’.
Dressed in a custom-made Burberry pussy-bow blouse and a pair of Spells of Love earrings, Kate was relaxed and chatty as she spoke to the children about their experiences growing up
Throughout the video, Kate appeared relaxed and cuddled up with one little boy in particular, whom she chatted about Spiderman with
She spoke with one little boy about dropping his ice cream, who told her he had been given a second one.
She responded: ‘Oh you lucky duck! Oh delicious.’
Elsewhere she spoke about how important it was for people to look after the children, to ‘give them love and kindness’ to ‘help them be the best they can be’.
Throughout the video, Kate appeared relaxed and cuddled up with one little boy in particular, whom she chatted about Spiderman with. At the end of the clip, she offered high-fives to the group.
Meanwhile the princess spoke to the London school pupils about their teddy bears, before asking them all for high-fives at the end of the clip
On Tuesday, Kate was elegant in an emerald coat as she launched her Shaping Us campaign in Leeds.
The royal, 41, opted for a pair of £1,280 brown knee-high boots by Gianvito Rossi and a £950 midi cream dress from Victoria Beckham for her visit to discuss the importance of the early childhood years – which is the subject of her new campaign film.
To begin with, Kate toured Kirkgate Market – where she politely ignored a wolf whistle from a member of the public – and happily spoke with crowds of adoring royal fans who had waited to catch a glimpse of her.
She then visited the University of Leeds to attend a second-year lecture in the ‘Psychological Approaches to Understanding and Supporting Children’s Learning’ module, which examines children’s learning and development, including attachment theory.
In the clip, she was dressed in a blue bespoke Jenny Packham dress which she first wore in 2019 during a visit to Northern Ireland
In a speech, she said: ‘The campaign is fundamentally about shining a spotlight on the critical importance of early childhood and how it shapes the adults we become.
‘During this time we lay the foundations and building blocks for life. And it is when we learn to understand ourselves, understand others and understand the world in which we live.
‘This is why it is essential to not only understand the unique importance of our earliest years, but to know what we can all do to help raise future generations of happy, healthy adults.’
The event was attended by newly appointed ‘champions’ from the world of music, science, sport, celebrity and academia including presenter Rochelle Humes, England women’s football captain Leah Williamson and broadcaster Fearne Cotton.
Host Kate Silverton, the television presenter who has retrained as a child therapist, praised the princess for her ‘ardent dedication’ and championing of the issue.
The Princess of Wales arriving at Leeds University in a cream knitted belted dress with brown suede boots
Having fun! The Princess of Wales was all smiles as she talked to members of the public
During the evening, a short film was screened to launch the campaign, highlighting how babies and children develop in response to their earliest experiences.
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The multi-media campaign is part of a major push by the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, set up by the princess in June 2021, to raise awareness of how our early years mould our lives.
It is set to run for at least five years, and has been described by a Kensington Palace spokesman as the princess’s ‘life’s work’.
The princess spoke passionately about the campaign in an open letter published in the Mail on Sunday, in which she set out her plan for Shaping Us.
She wrote the impassioned plea on her laptop as she was preparing for the campaign launch, which starts with a week-long publicity blitz, including Monday night’s event at BAFTA.
Reports produced by the Early Childhood centre have revealed that the first five years shape future wellbeing more than any other stage of development, with our brains growing faster than at this time then any other.
It also hopes to ‘break the cycle’ of parents who experienced difficult childhoods themselves.
Palace aides say the idea for the project began even before Kate became a mother.
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