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Kate Middleton chaperoning school trip to National Portrait Gallery© Getty

Princess Kate just like 'one of the school mums' on fun-filled London trip

The Princess of Wales joined youngsters at the National Portrait Gallery

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Emily Nash - London
Royal EditorLondon
Content Writer
Updated: February 4, 2025
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The Princess of Wales joined young children to launch an interactive trail at the National Portrait Gallery on Tuesday, and she was just like "one of the school mums" as she played chaperone on the trip.

Kate boarded a mini bus to join a group of four and five year olds from All Souls CE Primary School in London to explore The Bobeam Tree Trail, which is based on work by her Royal Foundation for Early Childhood. 

As she travelled to the arts attraction, Kate helped to look after the youngsters, keeping them entertained by playing I Spy on the bus. One little girl, Grace, took a shine to the Princess, but did not realise the identity of the special guest.

Take a look at her arrival in the video below... 

WATCH: Princess Kate arrives at The National Portrait Gallery with group of youngsters

Speaking aftewards, Liz Smith, director of learning and engagement at the NPG, said of the Princess: "I think she really was one of the group today, an unusual situation. She was part of the school party, like one of the mums and the helpers on the school trip, which always throws up some challenges.

"You could hear them shout their goodbyes at the end. It was so sweet.”

The route was created using the Shaping Us Framework, which outlines 30 social and emotional skills that are crucial to living a healthy, happy life at all ages and which the Princess launched on February 1.

Bringing together two of her passions, art and early years development, the outing saw her join youngsters in activities designed around portraits to help them to use and develop these important skills.

The trail at the museum is based on a magical tree with beautiful, colourful leaves, which thrives when surrounded by stories. Children were asked to help the tree by discovering the stories of people depicted in the artworks – exploring facial expressions, listening to audio recordings and using props.

Kate joined the pupils and teachers as they explored how faces can express feelings and emotions and as they were asked to think about their own lives, feelings and thoughts while creating a self portrait, which they could choose to "feed" to the tree to help it grow big and strong.

woman walking to gallery holding child's hand© Getty Images
Kate with little Grace

Aimed at nursery and reception age children, the trail is completely free and runs until 16 March. The NPG website is also offering related activities to do at home.

The Princess, who has been patron of the NPG since 2011, also met its newly appointed Director Victoria Siddall and chief executives and expert practitioners from five other galleries across the UK.

Over the course of 2025, The Box, Plymouth, The Lowry, Manchester, Middlesborough Institute of Modern Art, National Museums Northern Ireland and Museums and Galleries Sheffield will work with the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood and the National Portrait Gallery to bring the Shaping Us framework to life through their own collections.

Staff at the museums and galleries will also co-design a toolkit to help others across the UK to incorporate the framework into their offerings for younger visitors.

Princess Kate at the University of Leeds© Getty Images
Princess Kate launched Shaping Us in early 2023

The future Queen unveiled the Shaping Us Framework earlier this week, calling on society to "invest in humankind" and "build a more loving, empathetic and compassionate" world.

Drawn up by international academics, clinicians and early years practitioners brought together by her Centre for Early Childhood, it is hoped that the framework might be applied across society, in areas such as wellbeing programmes, team building, professional development, recruitment and human resources.

Keep scrolling to see all of the photos from Kate's outing...

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woman smiling in brown blazer© Alamy Stock Photo

All smiles

The royal was all smiles as she stepped out in London. Kate has carried out a number of engagements in recent weeks, including a visit to a textile manufacturer in South Wales, as well as Tŷ Hafan, a children’s hospice based in Sully. 

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two women chatting outside gallery© Getty Images

An important visit

During her visit, Kate helped to launch a new project from The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood aimed at supporting young children in the development of social and emotional skills. 

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woman talking to bunch of children in gallery © Alamy Stock Photo

Sweet moment

During her visit, Kate sweetly bent down low so that she could engage properly with one of the school pupils. 

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princess kate walking into gallery with group of school children© Getty Images

"Firm friends"

One little girl Grace, five, became firm friends with the Princess, clutching her hand as they arrived after they sat together on the bus.

Alix Ascough, executive headteacher at All Souls, said: "She [Kate] had been asked if she would have a partner, and she was sat next to Grace on the coach and Grace had chatted away to her the whole journey." 

"She knew it was a very special visitor," added Alix. "We told her she was a princess. She just called her Catherine."

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Kate Middleton holding little girl's hand as she steps off bus© Getty

'Really chatty with the children'

Alix said of the bus journey: "The children, they're four or five years old. They're completely oblivious to everything that's happening. They were just like, 'We've got a posh coach with nice lights and aircon' and Catherine was wonderful, really chatty with the children. And just felt like a really relaxed journey. She was helping out with the children, helping out with their jumpers. It was just lovely."


Alix said of the children: "They absolutely loved, it was so magical, the awe and wonder. And just as they came in and they saw the tree and the magic of the day… I don't think we'll ever have another school trip like it!"

She said the Princess said it had been a "wonderful opportunity" to be with the children in the gallery. 

"She was complimenting the children and how well behaved they were and what good artists they were because they had the opportunity to draw pictures," she added.

"Those experiences that we give the children are incredibly important, and days like today, where those experiences become magical, you sow those seeds for lifelong learning."

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Kate chatting to pupils on the trail© Getty Images

Identifying expressions

There were gasps of excitement as they spotted The Bobeam Tree, a life-sized model made from a metal frame covered in expanding foam and resin and topped with brightly coloured leaves.

The children were welcomed by guide Anna Husband, the NPG's Head of Learning, who explained that they would be following a trail to help the tree grow.

Upstairs in the Ondaatje Wing, the Princess walked past portraits of Winston Churchill and a young King George VI to the first stop on the trail, a Mood Magnifying Mirror Box, with a two-way mirror for children to look into one side and identify their friends’ facial expressions from the other.

To help them, a portrait of the smiling actress Anna Neagle was pointed out and the youngsters were asked to identify how she might be feeling.

"Happy!" they shouted.

They were also encouraged to imitate her pose, hands on hips, which Kate did with a smile.

The group then attempted to read each others’ faces through the mirror and the Princess crouched alongside them to pull a face too.

"What did you guess?" she said standing up.

"Happy!" replied one boy.

"Shall I do one for you?" she asked another child.

"Angry!" he declared as she stood back up with a grin.

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Kate took part in the trail© Getty Images

Getting involved

Kate joined in as the guide gave the children directions to help ensure they were focused on the task in hand, such as waving their fingers in the air, putting their hands on their knees and then on their shoulders.

They also studied a portrait of a serious-looking Charles Darwin and stood on tiptoes to imitate a pose by the ballerina Dame Darcey Bussell.

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Kate cuddling child© Getty Images

"It's magic!"

In another part of the Gallery, the children sat on beanbags to produce self-portraits using pencils and crayons.

The Princess crouched on her heels and chatted to them about their work, helping to hold paper as the children hunted for more colours and one little girl briefly sat on her lap.

Then it was time for the children to "feed" their finished artworks to the tree, posting them into a cabinet with hidden trap-doors inside the drawers.

There were screams of "it’s disappeared!" and "it's magic” as they closed each drawer and then checked inside them again.

"Where’s it gone?" asked the Princess. "Has it disappeared?"

One curious little boy checked the back of the cabinet.

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Kate Middleton talking to Victoria Siddall © Anadolu via Getty Images

Kate with Victoria Siddall

After saying her goodbyes to the children, Kate was introduced to Victoria Siddall, the NPG’s new director.

The two women chatted with Christian Guy, Executive Director of the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood before heading back to the Bobeam Tree sculpture to meet the chief executives of five other UK museums and galleries hoping to implement a similar exhibition.

Kate discussed how portraiture could help younger children to learn about empathy, saying: "It's such a great way for children to engage and understand other people’s perspectives in a creative and less intimidating way. They don’t have the language yet, but they’re finding ways to talk about emotions and feelings and understand them."

And she pointed out how some social and emotional skills are vital to building relationships with others and managing feelings.

"It’s really interesting when you look at young people’s mental health, there is not much discussion about knowing yourself and actually that lays the foundations around relationships," she said.

"But also recognising your emotions and managing complex emotions, anger, fear, jealousy - emotions that are not spoken about - and to normalise it."

She said using the portraits in an innovative way was "fantastic", adding: "I’m really excited to be using portraiture to explore social and emotional skills because I feel it’s such an untapped potential.

"But also to make it accessible to lots of kids so it’s not just in school, but something that’s embraced by the community."

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Kate leaving National Portrait Gallery© Getty

"Like one of the mums"

Liz Smith, director of learning and engagement at the NPG, said of the Princess: "She was absolutely enthralled, and I think really engaged with seeing the potential of curiosity and creativity come to life. And importantly, just the ways of empathy, kindness and the ability to encourage that conversation between the little ones and their parents and carers."

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woman walking to gallery holding child's hand© Getty Images

Kate's outfit

The Princess of Wales looked so chic for her London outing wearing a pair of pinstripe trousers in charcoal grey, a black roll neck knit and a razor-sharp blazer in a chocolate brown hue. 

She accessorised with a pair of gold hoop earrings and wore her hair down in elegant waves. 

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Kate's message on the Bobeam Tree Trail Guide© Royal Rota

Kate's introduction to the trail

Visitors to The Bobeam Trail follow a guide booklet which includes an introduction from the Princess, who writes:

"Hello everyone, thank you for helping the magical Bobeam Tree! When you follow the Tree Trail around the National Portrait Gallery today, you are using some really important skills. Each of the activities is specially planned to help you explore these skills in different ways. Work as a team with the adults you are here with, help each other and figure out the route together.

"I hope you have lots of fun being creative and learning about the stories here today, as well as telling your own. And most of all, I hope you enjoy spending time with people you care about and who care about you. Lots of the activities you do here today can also be done at home, so please do carry on the good work long after you leave the Gallery. Catherine."

Christian Guy, Executive Director of the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood said the visit had been "really exciting," adding: "The Framework is such a big piece of work that the Princess has driven, and she's so passionate about social and emotional skills becoming a major priority. The children loved it, their faces lit up, and they were drawing lots of happy self portraits at the end, which was a relief. They had a great time, I think and I think the Princess really enjoyed being part of it." 

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