The Duchess of Cambridge made surprise visits to Northern Ireland and Scotland on Wednesday, in support of her early childhood survey. For her first stop, Kate, 38, visited The Ark Open Farm in Newtownards, Northern Ireland to speak to local parents and grandparents about their experiences of raising young children and their thoughts on the early years.
Kate then travelled to Aberdeen in Scotland to visit Social Bite, where she spoke to staff and customers at the cafe, which provides jobs to people who have been homeless, about the long-lasting impact of childhood experiences.
The Duchess launched a landmark online survey last month, '5 Big Questions on the Under Fives,' which aims to spark a UK-wide conversation on raising the next generation and will run until 21 February. Kate has already visited Birmingham, Cardiff, Woking and London to carry out engagements in connection with the launch.
The mum-of-three has been focusing on the importance of the early years since marrying into the royal family in 2011 and convened a steering group of experts in 2018 to aid her work.
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