This week, the Princess of Wales achieved a remarkable milestone while taking a break from her official duties to spend time with her children during the summer vacation.
At the age of 41, Kate, who married Prince William in 2011, has accumulated more than 20 patronages spanning various sectors such as early years, arts, and sports.
Expressing a sense of nostalgia on Wednesday, the Princess commemorated a significant anniversary by posting on Twitter: “Celebrating a decade of creating an impact with @Place2Be! Grateful to every child, parent, educator, and volunteer who has been part of this journey.”
The mother of three also provided a link to Place2Be’s blog post titled ‘Celebrating 10 years of our Royal Patronage’.
Place2Be, an organization that focuses on providing mental health support in schools, was among Kate’s initial royal patronages. Prior to her marriage to William, she organized a fundraising roller disco in Vauxhall for Place2Be and supported ‘Tom’s Ward’ at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford back in 2008.
In April 2013, Place2Be introduced the former Duchess of Cambridge as its patron.
During one of her initial involvements with the organization, Kate, who was expecting Prince George, collaborated with comedian John Bishop to inaugurate M-PACT Plus. This initiative was aimed at mitigating the adverse effects of parental substance misuse on children.
Throughout her span of ten years, Kate also inaugurated Mentally Healthy Schools, a project that was initially collaboratively developed by the Anna Freud Centre, Young Minds, Place2Be, and The Royal Foundation. This project emerged as a lasting initiative from the Heads Together campaign.
Furthermore, Kate played a role in the introduction of Place2Be’s Children’s Mental Health Week in 2015. This yearly campaign has witnessed the Princess taking the lead in a school assembly and engaging in a reading of a CBeebies bedtime story.
As the culmination of her efforts, Kate introduced the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood in 2021. This center’s objective is to promote understanding and initiatives regarding the significance of the early years, with the goal of bringing about societal transformation for the years to come.
Earlier in the current year, the Princess also introduced the Shaping Us initiative, which has been labeled as her “life’s endeavor.” This campaign is focused on elevating the significance of the crucial phase in a child’s development, spanning from pregnancy up to the age of five.
In a blog post, Catherine Roche, the Chief Executive of Place2Be, expressed gratitude to the Princess for her assistance throughout the previous decade. Roche stated, “Over the past ten years, Place2Be’s influence and effectiveness have continued to expand. We are currently engaged with more than 500 schools, providing support to a school community comprising over 243,000 children and young individuals.”
“Beside our school partnerships, guided by the encouragement and insight from Our Royal Patron, we have also been able to extend our influence through training, campaigns, and resources like Children’s Mental Health Week.”
“We are eternally appreciative to Her Royal Highness for her support and unwavering dedication to the mental well-being of children and young people. We are excited to persist in broadening the impact that, collectively, we can achieve and the positive transformation we can effect in the lives of children.”
