While the Princess of Wales will be in her element among children and nature during Thursday's engagement with the First Lady of the United States, the joint outing also reflects Mrs. Melania Trump’s personal passions. "The First Lady cares about the wellness and well-being of children worldwide," the office of the First Lady tells HELLO!. "[It's] something that Mrs. Trump demonstrated in the first term and wants to continue to enhance in the second term."
During her husband President Donald Trump's first term, the First Lady launched her Be Best initiative, which is centered around promoting the well-being of children.
Mrs. Trump and the Princess, who are both mothers, will be spending time with kids, ages 4 to 6, from the Scout's Squirrels program as they learn about nature to achieve their "Go Wild" badge. It's no secret that Catherine, joint president of the Scout Association, loves the outdoors. Earlier this year, the Princess of Wales referred to nature as her "sanctuary" and discussed the importance of it in a video with Chief Scout, Dwayne Fields.
"I find it a very spiritual and very intense emotional reconnection, I suppose these environments," the Princess said in the film. "Not everyone has that same relationship perhaps with nature, but it is so therefore meaningful for me as a place to balance and find a sort of sense of peace and reconnection in what is otherwise a very busy world."
In the past, Mrs. Trump herself has highlighted the importance of the Every Kid Outdoors Program. After visiting Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming with students in 2019, the first lady said, “Spending time outdoors with children and learning more about our incredible and complex surroundings was a very meaningful experience for me."
Thursday will no doubt be another meaningful one. The First Lady and the Princess of Wales will be out at Frogmore Gardens on Sept. 18, where they are expected to participate in leaf stamping and bug house identification activities with the Squirrels. HELLO! has learned that the First Lady will be bringing gifts for the Scouts that include honey from the White House and Scouting America neckerchiefs. The Office of the First Lady told HELLO! that the engagement with the Princess of Wales is "absolutely" a highlight for Mrs. Trump on her and the President's second, historic state visit to the United Kingdom.