Kate Middletonis taking her campaign to highlight the importance of the early years of a child’s life to new levels.
On Tuesday, the Princess of Wales, 41, traveled to the northern English city of Leeds to talk to locals about her new initiative.
Princess Kate, who wanted to bring her campaign to the heart of a city community, visited Leeds Kirkgate Market and met vendors to discuss early childhood. Surprised members of the public also got to see the royal while on their shopping outings.
Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales.Zak Hussein / SplashNews.com
“Please don’t worry. It’s okay,” Kate replied. “We all get nervous.” They then smiled for the photo.
The royal has a personal connection to Leeds — it’s where her father, Michael Middleton, was born, and she has family ancestors in the county of Yorkshire.
Shirley Wainwright, 75, from Harrogate, Yorkshire, had an animated chat with her. “She said she was really looking forward to being here,” Wainwright tells PEOPLE. “She said she’s got a massive family tree and that there’s a lot of history around here in Leeds and is determined to come back.”
Catherine Princess of Wales visit to Kirkgate Market.Tim Rooke/Shutterstock
Her friend Angie Chilton, 72, adds, “She’s not standoffish. People are aware of who she is so they might not want to approach her but she’s very forthcoming.”
Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales.Tim Rooke/Shutterstock
Kate toured some of the market’s stalls, chatting with a fishmonger and some trainee primary school teachers.
At The Nut Shop, which sells sweets and snacks, she met owner Joanne Johnson, 53. “I don’t think she would be as credible in this if she wasn’t a mother. She’s got three beautiful children to raise,” she says.
Johnson adds that Kate is in a perfect position to head up the campaign “as she’s going to be our queen, so you’re going to listen to her.”
Johnson — who started working at the stall as a teen and ended up buying it later on — adds, “She was really engaging asking me questions about how the business has been. She made me feel at ease and comfortable.”
Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales.Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Salem says, “We told her we are going to university to be primary school teachers, and she said how important the early years are for children and a great profession to get into.”
“She told us she thought it was a really good thing to be doing and great career choice,” Salem adds. “We’ve heard a bit about of her early years. She was really relatable and took time to speak to us.”
After briefly touring the market where she chatted with vendors, she then joined a discussion with some of the workers and locals to hear about their experiences of early childhood.
Kate also met with students at the University of Leeds who are focusing their studies on children’s early years. She began at a lecture on the “Psychological Approaches to Understanding and Supporting Children’s Learning” then sat down to talk to a group taking Childhood Studies.
Dr. Katie Gathercole, who leads the class, tells PEOPLE that it “was wonderful” to see the interaction and conversation between the students and the Princess on what was clearly a common passion.
“There was so much of shared interest and understanding of issues to do with early childhood. These conversations were really great to see,” she says. “We are really happy that she’s identified early childhood. Children and young peoples' experiences have not been on the public’s and society’s radar, or the political radar, for what seems like a long time. So having someone as high profile as the Princess of Wales highlighting these really important years in a child’s life is really wonderful — not just for us and our course but for society as a whole. Her message aligns with what we do on the course.”
And Dr. Gathercole was impressed with Kate’s knowledge on the subject: “She does know what she is talking about, absolutely. She is familiar with the really important research around it and the science that she talks about really does stack up. This research-informed material is going into this campaign.”
Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales in Leeds.Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Around the table was Luke Tull, who is studying for a psychology degree. He says, “I thought she might talk about the campaign, but she took a real interest in us. She picked up on things we’d say and relate it to things she’s experienced or knows. You can tell she knows her stuff and she’s spoken to a lot of people and has been really passionate about this for a long time.”
He adds, “She came in and said, ‘I’m here to talk to you all as you know more,’ " and the royal asked them their dissertation topics. “She was very easy. She sat down and let us all carry on as if we were having a usual conversation.” If someone stuttered or faltered, Kate was “smiley and encouraging. She made it very easy.”
He adds that Princess Kate she “knows what she’s on about.”
Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales in Leeds.Arthur Edwards/Pool/Shutterstock
In an open letter released on Saturday,Kate explained: “During our very early childhood, our brains develop at an amazing rate — faster than any other time of our lives. Our experiences, relationships, and surroundings at that young age shape the rest of our lives. It is a time where we lay the foundations and building blocks for life. It is when we learn to understand ourselves, understand others and understand the world in which we live.”
Catherine Princess of Wales visits Kirkgate Market, Leeds.Tim Rooke/Shutterstock
Children’s and young people’s interests are at the heart of life in Leeds, which is about 200 miles north of London. The city has the ambition to be the best place in the U.K. for children and young people to grow up.
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Since then, Leeds City Council has been working with partners across the city to deliver enrichment programs to improve outcomes and has seen many positive results, including a reduction in the number of children and young people being taken into local authority care, more young people going into education, employment and training, and better school attendance.
Kirkgate Market, which opened in 1857 and is home to hundreds of local independent businesses from grocers selling fresh fruit and vegetables to butchers, and fishmongers, receives around 120,000 visitors a week. Its mission is to be an inclusive, successful, and sustainable part of the Leeds city center where independent retailers can innovate and thrive.
source: people.com
