Princess Kate steps out ahead of big royal weekend as £50k project is revealed

The Princess of Wales's Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood has provided a £50,000 grant for a new study, which aims to assess babies' happiness and wellbeing.

Mum-of-three Kate, 41, is meeting with health visitors in Nuneaton, who have been taking part in the trial to evaluate the use of the Alarm Distress Baby Scale (ADBB) in the UK.

Before beginning her visit, the Princess went on a walkabout to meet young children from local schools in Nuneaton, Warwickshire who were gathered outside the venue.

The royal kept her cool in the current UK heatwave in a green leopard print shirt dress by Samantha Cameron's label, Cefinn. She teamed her ensemble with white heels and a matching handbag, and accessorised with her green amethyst drops by Kiki McDonough. 

Inspired by her trip to Denmark in February 2022, the Princess saw first-hand how the ADBB model is being used in the country by health visitors to support parent-infant relationships and early childhood development.

Since then, Kate and the Centre for Early Childhood have been working closely with the Institute of Health Visiting to explore the potential for implementation of the ADBB in the UK.

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Ahead of the visit, Kensington Palace said: "By working closely with people from across the private, public and voluntary sectors, including the early years workforce, The Princess of Wales and the Centre for Early Childhood hope to create a network of shared knowledge and best practice which can be used to identify and collaborate on new solutions and inspire action to drive real, positive change on the early years."

Kate founded the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood in 2021 and launched the Shaping Us campaign in January 2023.

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During her visit to the Children and Family Centre at Riversley Park in Nuneaton, Kate visited a drop-in clinic and heard from families about the impact of the support they are receiving from their health visitors.

The Princess cooed over the little ones, and there was a funny moment as Kate was interrupted by a burping baby. See her reaction in the clip below...

The ADBB trial is running for a period of 10 months and is being carried out at the South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust, and Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust.

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Kate's outing comes just days ahead of a major royal event – the King's birthday parade, known as Trooping the Colour, on Saturday.

The Princess will attend the parade for the first time in her role as Colonel of the Irish Guards.

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She is expected to watch proceedings with Queen Camilla in the carriage procession, while Charles, Prince William, Princess Anne and Prince Edward will ride on horseback.

The Prince and Princess of Wales's children, Prince George, nine, Princess Charlotte, eight, and five-year-old Prince Louis are also expected to make an appearance on the day.

Following the parade, members of the royal family will then gather on the Buckingham Palace balcony to watch the flypast.

Last week, Kate revealed her sporting skills as she visited a rugby club to talk about childhood and the importance of community settings in early years.

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Kate visited Maidenhead Rugby Club where she played rugby with England stars Courtney Lawes and Danny Care before sitting down for an open chat as part of her Shaping Us campaign.