Kate shows off her rugby skills as she takes to the pitch for drills
Kate Middleton showcased her sporty side this morning as she wore a trendy tracksuit while visiting the Maidenhead Rugby Club in Berkshire to take part in a fun rugby skills session.
The Princess of Wales sported a blue England Rugby shirt, tracksuit bottoms and white Lululemon trainers as she arrived at the training ground to take part in some drills with ex-England star Danny Care.
Renowned for her active lifestyle, the outing allowed the mother-of-three to combine her leadership of the Shaping Us initiative to talk about how best to nurture children with her support for the game of rugby, of which she is patron of the Rugby Football Union.
After taking part in the rugby drills on the field, Kate went inside to talk about the impact that local sports clubs have for those who are helping to raise children.
The Princess was greeted upon arrival by former England player Ugo Monye with a warm smile as she exclaimed: ‘Hello! Lovely to see you’ shook his hand.
The rugby star, who is a father and has championed the Shaping Us campaign, asked the Princess how she was, to which Kate replied: ‘Very good, thank you.’
She continued: ‘Thanks so much for joining in.’
Kate added she was looking forward to having some ‘good chats’ throughout the day with male players about fatherhood and how sports clubs can improve children’s early years development.
Her visit came as her Early Years Foundation found that men are less likely than women to realise the importance of the first years of a child’s life.
In the first perceptions survey since she launched Shaping Us researchers found there is still much more effort needed to raise awareness.
While last year only 17 per cent of the U.K. population identified the period between pregnancy and the age of five as the most important period for shaping a child’s future, this year’s survey found that this figure has risen to 19 per cent.
And men are still significantly less knowledgeable than women of the extraordinary impact of the first five years of a child’s life. However, whilst 24 per cent of women recognized the time as the most important period (up 4 per cent from 2022), only 14 per cent of men did so, the survey on behalf of Kate’s Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood found.
Her visit comes as the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood released statistics showing an increased awareness of the importance of early years development over the last year.
A public perception survey commissioned by the Foundation and conducted by Ipsos UK showed that, last year, 17% of people identified the period between pregnancy and the age of five as a crucial time for shaping a child’s future.
However this year, that proportion has risen by 2% to 19% overall.
Despite an overall increase in awareness, the data also showed that it was mostly women who identified the age range as important in shaping a child’s future, at 24% – compared to just 14% of men.
The princess has been a long-term advocate for raising awareness around the importance of early childhood before starting the campaign earlier this year.
Last month Kate was joined by rapper Professor Green, a supporter of the princess’s early years Shaping Us campaign, when she sat down with a group of young people who have been through the care system.
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