The Princess of Wales told parents and children "the messier, the better" as she joined a play and session at a Home-Start centre in Oxford. Her unannounced outing comes after Kate, 43, wrote a personal essay in which she urged society to "invest in the relationships you have with each other".
The royal mother-of-three visited the local family support charity to see how it was helping parents and young children to build strong relationships and overcome early-years challenges. Kate also spoke with parents at Rose Buds Stay and Play, which offers activities for families such as sensory play, singing, storytelling and movement.
The Princess spoke to sisters Mariam Namakula, 30, and Sumayya Nabatanzi, 28, from Oxford, as their combined five children ran around having fun. When one of the children injected Kate with a toy syringe, the royal was left with flour on the jacket of her trouser suit and she asked another child "What are you making, are you making a cake? Delicious".
Ms Namakula said afterwards: "She was enjoying herself with the kids and said 'the messier it is, the better the fun'. Kate was saying Charlotte enjoys the outdoors and doing activities, and making things and how her kids are growing up fast. She said George is 12 years old and would soon be starting secondary school."
The visit also coincided with Home-Start UK's rollout of new volunteer training based on the animated films released by Kate's Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood in August. The series highlights how everyday moments of connection help to shape a child's life.
Home-Start Oxford CEO, Katharine Barber tells HELLO! of the charity's work: "I think what we try to create is that sense of nurture and care for families, so that they're in a strong position to provide that care and attention to their children. The groups provide that bit of respite, it's their chance to have social connections with other parents in their community, and we really hope that those friendships will be once in a lifetime, we're so motivated by the conversations we were having about the importance of early childhood and the role that Home-Start plays in supporting families with children under five in that really critical learning period. The essay that the Princess has published just ties really well with everything that we do and all that we're about here."
Kate's early years focus has often been described as her "life's work," with Katharine saying of the Princess: "She's just genuinely well-informed and she has a deep commitment to this critical life period, and the potential that we can achieve by supporting parents with babies and the youngest children to really change things, not just for them and their own life chances, but for society as a whole. I think that resonates really well with us in our Home-Start, because we're all about creating compassionate communities and we see the role that volunteers play in helping to build that sense of kindness and nurture and more."
A Kensington Palace spokesperson added: "Today, The Princess had the opportunity to see a space that brings people from across the local community to connect and come together. She also had the opportunity to see the work Home Start is doing to support the foundations for a health, happy society."