It marks the first time the 'Royal Trio' became the 'Fab Four' at an official engagement. It's the first of many we'll see them attend together, and a fitting choice, as the Forum will be an annual event. Ms Markle will become the Foundation's fourth patron in May. I believe one of the primary reasons for choosing to host a public Forum was to allow the public to get to know the Foundation, its programmes and plans. When we think of the Prince's Trust, we instantly associate it with Prince Charles and its focus on vulnerable young people. Of course, the Trust has been active for over 40 years. Yet I was surprised at the number of royal watchers who told me they know comparatively little about the Foundation and it's ongoing projects. What better way for people to find out than directly from the royals themselves? It's an excellent idea and, I imagine, will become a highlight on the royal calendar in the years to come.
Ahead of the engagement, the Royal Foundation released the following: "Creating the Foundation was a new style of how the Royal family could engage with causes that are close to their hearts. It allows them to work together across this generation as well as bring others together to focus on areas they are each passionate about. Once the Duchess of Cambridge became Patron, Their Royal Highnesses established a key focus of working together, as well as convening others to help tackle society’s biggest challenges. We are delighted to welcome Meghan to the Foundation. She has always shown great drive and compassion for making a difference in the world, and we are excited to embark on important projects together. Together we use the passion and unique influence of our Patrons to change mindsets and make a lasting difference on the issues that matter to them and to society. We never begin a project thinking we have the answer. From day one, the Foundation was built with an open door, and whatever we do, we invite the best and brightest to sit with us around the table to help find solutions."
The Royal Foundation was launched in 2011 by Prince William and Prince Harry as the primary vehicle for their philanthropic interests. The Duchess joined later that year. Since then, it has grown significantly, making a difference in communities across the UK and beyond. The royals' continued aim is to invest in, or partner with, organisations with proven impact, using its profile and leverage to create a multiplier effect in resources, outcomes and knowledge.
The Foundation's current priorities are mental health, young people, conservation and the armed forces.
Mental health has been at the heart of the royals' work for some time now. Their campaign, Heads Together, is the largest initiative the trio have jointly undertaken. Driven by their desire to destigmatise mental health and start conversations all over the world, it is undoubtedly a cause they are deeply passionate about. Following a year of engagements, videos and radio appearances the efforts for the first phase culminated at the London Marathon, where Heads Together was chosen as charity of the year.
To progress the campaign, the Royal Foundation is investing £2 million to establish a new start-up for digital mental health innovation, which is developing new digital tools to help people have conversations about mental health. It is the largest single grant from the Foundation. Last month Kate launched 'Mentally Health Schools' - a website designed to give teachers and school staff the clarity and practical resources they need in order to support pupils.
The theme of the event is 'Making a Difference Together'.
Today, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle will attend the inaugural Royal Foundation Forum, which is focused on 'Making a Difference Together'. pic.twitter.com/qM9iwnHmfb— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) February 28, 2018
William, Kate, Harry and Meghan appeared on stage together to discuss why the Royal Foundation was set up, the projects they are currently working on, and their ambitions for the future. You can view a full video from the Forum below.
Prince William opened the event by discussing the journey to creating the Foundation.
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William opened his address by welcoming Meghan, saying they were “particularly happy” that this is the first Royal Foundation event with Meghan. It was met by warm applause from Kate the delegates from the various charities.
“Ten years ago Harry and I were still serving full-time in the military, but we were starting to look to the next stages of our lives,” William said. “As we discussed together the best way to set out on our official work, we looked to the values our family had instilled in us.
“Both our parents had provided for us an example of diligence, compassion and duty in all they did. Our grandparents, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, had made support for charity central to their decades of service to the nation and the Commonwealth.
“The task for us would not be to reinvent the wheel. Instead, our job was to follow the example of those who had come before us, hold on to the values that have always guided our family, but seek to engage in public life in a way that was updated and relevant for our generation.
“Today we want to celebrate this spirit of togetherness. We want to reflect on what we’ve achieved. And we want you to work with us as we consider what we might do next.”
The Forum was hosted by BBC presenter and Radio 1 newsreader Tina Daheley.
Ms Daheley asked Kate about coming up with the idea for Heads Together. Kate replied: "It's very generous of you to say it was my idea but actually it was going back right to the beginning when we were looking at ways we could all work with the Foundation and I suppose I learned through meeting with some of my patronages that there was sort of all these underlying causes across so many different sectors. Mental health just kept on flagging up every time, where it's with addiction or school support and with vulnerable young children. It's something I felt very passionately about. It's something I felt all three of us at the time could make a far bigger impact together rather than just one of us. Kate continued: "I've always felt really strongly about putting ideas together."
Kate was asked what she is excited about moving forward and cited her continued interest in mental health and exploring the early years. She discussed her own personal experience as a mother:
'I've learned a huge amount from the patronages I've worked with but also from the amazing experts I met along the way and you know, you can't help but then reflect on your own life. It's definitely had an impact on how I mother, how we work as a family and how we hope to bring up our children.'
Heads Together was Kate's idea, and she shared another one I think would be terrific. "I think there's lots that I'm hugely excited about with the Foundation and from the Foundation's perspective. Imagine if we were able to do a Heads Together campaign with another generation of members of the Royal family. I think that's so exciting and with so many more of us working on the same cause or similar causes, we could make a real impact."
More from the Mail Online:
'The young Royals showed their softer side at the foundation forum today when joking about the challenges of working together as a family. After being asked by presenter Tina Daheley if the 'ever have disagreements' William immediately burst into laughter before responding with a drawn out 'Ohhhh yes'. Harry was quick to clarify they were 'healthy disagreements' and joked they 'come so thick and fast' when asked what the last thing they quarrelled on was.
William continued the banter, quipping: 'Is it resolved? We don't know!' But Harry steered the topic back towards the serious message, adding: 'I think it's really good we have got four different personalities and we all have that same passion to make a difference. 'We have different opinions and they work really well [together]. Working as family does have its challenges; of course it does. [I think] the fact that everybody is laughing shows they know 'exactly' what's it like. But we are stuck together for the rest of our lives. Meghan added: 'Togetherness at it's finest'
Presenter Tina Daheley said the impact had been huge and 'changed the national conversation around mental health' before asking them if they expected such a result.
William quickly said 'No, as an answer' before Harry quipped: 'It was organised on the back of a fag packet. It really was. But William quickly brought the subject back to a serious nature, adding the Duchess of Cambridge was key to its development. He said: 'Catherine was the one who joined the dots up and came up with the idea and the concept. Harry and I had never thought about doing a campaign before and when it comes to mental health it was very difficult to know where to start. 'It's such a big issue and it is so entrenched in society in a negative way, sadly.
The foursome watched a video on the Heads Together journey.
Later during the Forum, Kate spoke passionately about mental health and long-term plans. She joked: "After seeing the video, I should be sporting my headband but sadly I left it at home." And added: "We are all so proud of the work we did without our partners to challenge the stigma. Since our roles are lifetime roles, our commitment to the work we do through the Foundation is genuinely long term. The work we do can and should have a long-lasting resonance. For this reason we're able to support causes we're passionate about for decades into the future. Like the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales we feel strongly we have to take a long-term view that is measured in generations."
During the keynote speech, Prince Harry said: "We feel a tremendous responsibility to play our part in effecting societal change for the better."
The audience included a selection of invited guests, supporters of the Royal Foundation, and programme partners and beneficiaries.
The Duchess looked elegant in her £99 Seraphine Royal Blue Tailored Dress.
It is described as being "cut for an elegant A-line shape and draping beautifully to the knee. This dress will take you from the office to a stylish cocktail party. Made in premium stretch woven fabric, it will adapt to your growing curves throughout your pregnancy".
Kate wore the dress last month for the launch of Mentally Healthy Schools.
Kate wore a very pretty new pair of earrings. They are unidentified at the moment.
Meghan wore a Jason Wu dress and Aquazzura pumps; to read more about her participation visit Mad About Meghan.
I very much enjoyed the forum. It was incredibly interesting to see all four of them sharing their views. The Foundation has boundless potential and bringing together their individual and shared interests in the years ahead will be fascinating to see. It was great to hear Kate talking candidly about the Foundation too. We leave you with this photo from the day - these two are clearly firm friends!
This evening, the Duchess, Patron of the National Portrait Gallery, will visit the exhibition 'Victorian Giants: The Birth of Art Photography'.
Meghan wore a Jason Wu dress and Aquazzura pumps; to read more about her participation visit Mad About Meghan.
I very much enjoyed the forum. It was incredibly interesting to see all four of them sharing their views. The Foundation has boundless potential and bringing together their individual and shared interests in the years ahead will be fascinating to see. It was great to hear Kate talking candidly about the Foundation too. We leave you with this photo from the day - these two are clearly firm friends!
This evening, the Duchess, Patron of the National Portrait Gallery, will visit the exhibition 'Victorian Giants: The Birth of Art Photography'.
