The Prince and Princess of Wales paid a special visit to Hereford on Thursday for two important engagements.
They kicked off their busy afternoon with a meaningful visit to the Madley Primary School's Forest School where outdoor learning is prioritised within the day-to-day curriculum to bolster children's physical and mental wellbeing.
© GettyAt the Forest School, founded by headmaster Lee Batstone and Duchy Head Forester, Geraint Richards, children are taught on a weekly basis in a woodland environment. Their program includes both national curriculum subjects in addition to topics covering environmental awareness, conservation, and woodland management.
© GettyElsewhere in their program, pupils are taught how to craft things from natural materials and how to use knives and equipment safely and correctly. Older pupils, meanwhile, have also learned to light and maintain fires for cooking use at the site.
© GettyThe Duchy of Cornwall and Madley Primary School, have been partners of the Forest School initiative for the last 12 years. Their partnership has blossomed ever since the Duchy supplied Madley Primary School with a woodland site specifically set aside for the Forest School.
© GettySince its inauguration, the Duchy has continued to increase the amount of woodland area in line with the school's expansion.
For the special outing, Princess Kate, 41, dressed down in a chic grey tweed blazer which she teamed with a pair of figure-flattering black jeans and some sturdy brown lace-up boots. She wore her bouncy brunette tresses down loose around her shoulders and accessorised with a simple silver pendant.
Prince William, 41, meanwhile, looked dapper in a smart grey jacket, a pale blue shirt and a pair of navy chinos.
During their visit, the Prince and Princess of Wales helped to prepare food around a glowing campfire. The duo appeared in high spirits as they spoke to a group of children before crouching down to whittle wood and help build an impressive tree den.
They later joined pupils beneath a canopy where the children were busy making healthy alternatives to toasted marshmallows: apple, cinnamon and sugar skewers.
© GettyThe cause is particularly close to Princess Kate's heart. HELLO! understands that the Princess of Wales sees the early years and The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood as her "life's work".
She launched her Shaping Us campaign in January 2023. Her campaign aims to improve society's understanding of the importance of early childhood in shaping adulthood and society as a whole. It aims to highlight the importance of supporting young children and those caring for them.
Later in the afternoon, Prince William and Princess Kate visited Kings Pitt Farm, where they met with Duchy of Cornwall farming tenants, Sam and Emily Stables.
© GettySam and Emily set up We Are Farming Minds to remove the stigma attached to mental health issues in the farming industry. The charity works tirelessly to improve the mental health of farmers living in rural communities throughout Hereford.
© GettyIt offers farmers fully funded access to a range of services including counselling, a 24-hour phone and text support line, free mental health awareness workshops and social events throughout the year.
© GettyThe Duchy of Cornwall has teamed up with We are Farming Minds in support of its brand-new Mental Health Strategy which aims to offer ongoing mental health support to all its tenants, focusing primarily on farmers living in more isolated communities.
Prince William inherited the Duchy of Cornwall after the death of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. It's one of the largest and oldest landed estates in Britain and was created in 1337 by Edward III to support his son and heir Prince Edward, known as the Black Prince, and all his subsequent heirs.
Princess Kate has long been a champion of prioritising mental wellbeing, including that of children and young people.
© GettyOver the years, she has dedicated her time to supporting various mental health programmes, such as the launch of Heads Together, Shout 85258, and the Mentally Healthy Schools programme.
Beyond this, she is also a patron of a number of charities which focus on promoting and providing mental health support to those in need.
The second episode of "A Right Royal Podcast" takes a deep dive into royal holidays and in particular, their love of Balmoral, the royal family's favourite summer holiday destination in Scotland. Discover Why William stopped flying with Princess Diana, Prince Charles and Prince Harry aged just 12 by listening to the latest episode below:
