Catherine, Princess of Wales says it is "essential" that we "understand" the early years of a child's life.

Catherine, Princess of Wales on the importance of understanding the early years

Catherine, Princess of Wales on the importance of understanding the early years

The 41-year-old royal - who is married to Prince William and has Prince George, nine, Princess Charlotte, seven, and four-year-old Prince Louis with him - has launched her 'Shaping Us' campaign for her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood and in an address in London on Monday (30.01.23) noted that those raising children "need the very best information" in order to ensure the best for the next generation.

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. 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. Those involved in raising children today need the very best information and support in helping to achieve this mission – and this campaign aims to help do that too."

Catherine went on to give a "huge and heartfelt thank you" to everyone in attendance at the BAFTA event and expressed her gratitude for the "personal support" she had received before insisting that we can all make a "huge difference" for generations to come.

She said: ""I want to say a huge and heartfelt thank you to so many of you in this room, for your ongoing work in this area. Thank you for the years of dedication and your unfailing determination to advocate for and improve the lives of the youngest members of our society. And thank you also to many of you in this room this evening, for your personal support to me in helping me develop my thinking and work on this issue over the years As you all know, by building a supportive, nurturing world around children and those caring for them, we can make a huge difference to generations to come.

"As you all know, by building a supportive, nurturing world around children and those caring for them, we can make a huge difference to generations to come. Because fundamentally healthy, happy children shape a healthy, happy future."