Kensington Palace said: "One of the Duchess’ key areas of interest is championing the importance of providing solid social and emotional foundations for children to support their development and emotional resilience as infants, setting them on the best possible pathway for a happy and healthy adulthood. Earlier this year, Her Royal Highness set up a steering group made up of practitioners and academics from a range of disciplines, including neuroscience, mental health, nursing, perinatal care and education. This group has met several times to discuss what can be done to make a positive difference to the lives of children by focusing on their earliest stage of life, from pre-birth to infancy."
Yesterday, the Duchess held a meeting with experts involved in the 'early years' initiative. We expect to hear more details in the new year.
The Duchess was greeted by Professor Eamon McCrory, Co-Director of the Developmental Risk and Resilience Unit in the Psychology & Language Sciences Division.
Professor McCrory said: "Our cutting-edge neuroscience research is shedding new light on how the brain develops in the early years. What we are learning has the potential to significantly improve the lives of children and their families. I am delighted and truly honoured that Her Royal Highness has shown such interest in our work and is supporting vital research in this area."
UCL is conducting world-leading neuroscience research into the critical importance of the early years, and developing new treatments and ways of supporting children and parents. Its work includes a focus on the early parent-infant bond and how it develops; on neural plasticity (the extraordinary ability of the brain to adapt in the early years); and how genetic and environmental factors contribute to the development of conduct problems. This important work is helping to inform our understanding of early childhood development, providing new insights to radically reshape policy and practice in education and health, and to promote child well-being.
During the visit, the Duchess learned more about the Unit’s neuroscience research into how environment and biology interact to shape the way in which children develop both socially and emotionally. The unit aims to better understand the factors that contribute to healthy development, as well as those that are linked to the emergence of behavioural and emotional problems in children. Research into developmental risk and resilience has scope to inform professionals and policy makers in ways that can improve the lives of children and families.
Kate was shown the unit’s MRI Scanning Facility to learn about UCL’s groundbreaking research on how early experience shapes brain function. Kate was shown how the scanner is used to study the brain, and saw the resulting images that allow scientists to see differences in brain structure and function.
The Duchess heard from members of Professor McCrory’s neuroscience research team about how they work closely with children and families to shed new light on resilience following early adversity.
The Duchess then joined a roundtable meeting with leading researchers and students to learn about the wider ambition for developmental neuroscience.
Simon Perry reports: "Observers say the royal came fully prepared with questions about the “fascinating” research and its impact on families." Kate discussed studying psychology as part of her course at St Andrews. I'm very much looking forward to hearing more about the 'Early Years' initiative in the coming months.
The Duchess departing.
A video from the engagement.
The Duchess wore her Paule Ka burgundy suit for the outing. Kate first wore the outfit for a visit to Middle Temple in 2012 and again last year for a visit to Action for Children in Wales. It's a very chic skirt suit and the shade of burgundy is perfect for this time of year. Kate's been repeating a string of looks throughout this month.
Kate's suit comes from the designers 2011 collection. The double breasted jacket features modified peplum detailing at the waist. Below we see the design in a different colour. Paule Ka is a French ready-to-wear brand, created in 1987 by Serge Cajfinger.
It appears Kate's velvet bow is by J Crew (with thanks to Palace Avenue).
A closer look.
The Duchess wore her trusty Tod's black suede pumps.
The Duchess accessorised with her gorgeous Asprey Oak Leaf earrings. The £5,000 pair are described as "intertwined oak leaves in 18K gold and pave diamond".
And her Cartier Ballon Bleu watch.
It was a 'Double Duchess' day in many ways; both ladies had unannounced engagements and wore burgundy outfits and ponytails. A number of people have commented on the possibility they coordinated given the recent spate of headlines about their relationship. It certainly does seem like more than a coincidence. They both looked splendid in the festive shade. Pop over to Mad About Meghan if interested in reading about Meghan's outing.
With apologies for the delay in publishing the full post, it has been a hectic day on this end. We'll see you on Friday for our annual Black Friday post. In the meantime, wishing all those celebrating a very Happy Thanksgiving.
