The Princess of Wales shares the same desire as her husband William for "impactful change", palace aides say. A new report by The Times' Kate Mansey reiterates Kate's desire to make real and lasting change, while reflecting that the Princess, as Queen, may be "more ambitious and bold than any of us appreciate".
Kate's most pressing cause that she chooses to champion is the Early Years, the under-five age group. A point that she continues to hammer home is how a person's childhood has a resounding effect on their adult life.
A spokesperson for Kensington Palace has previously described the Early Years as the "golden thread" throughout the Princess' working life.
A Queen 'who listens'
Looking ahead to when she becomes Queen, Mansey spoke to Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast host Giovanna Fletcher.
Giovanna, who interviewed the Princess in 2020, was among the 80 plus attendees at an engagement in November 2025 when Kate delivered a keynote speech about how the "love we feel in our earliest years fundamentally shapes who we become and how we thrive as adults". The Princess was speaking at the inaugural Future Workforce Summit, an event organised by her Royal Foundation Business Taskforce for Early Childhood, in her first public speech in two years.
© Anadolu via Getty Images"She's full of heart," Giovanna told The Times. "I think she'll be a Queen who really listens, who leans in, who's very aware of what's going on – like the King with the King's Trust.
"I think [the Prince and Princess of Wales] are going into it with their eyes completely open. I don't feel like it's 'us v them'. We have to work together as a society to make that change happen [and] I think they get it. They understand things. And so, for that reason, I think it will be a welcome change."
Change is on William's agenda
Earlier in October, William gave one of his most revealing interviews to date, stating that change is very much on his agenda. Speaking to Eugene Levy in Windsor for the Apple TV+ show The Reluctant Traveller, the future King said: "I think it's safe to say that change is on my agenda. Change for good, and I embrace that, I enjoy that change.
"I don't fear it, that's the bit that excites me, the idea of being able to bring some change. Not overly radical, but changes that I think need to happen."
© Courtesy of AppleWilliam clarified that he wasn't seeking to rip up the royal rule book, but added: "I think if you're not careful, history can be a real weight and an anchor around you, and you can feel suffocated by it, and restricted by it too much.
"There are points when you look at tradition and go, is that still fit for purpose today? Is that still the right thing to do? Are we still doing and having the most impact we could be having? So I like to question things, is what I'm really getting at."
