Princess Kate revealed her daughter, Princess Charlotte’s, favourite pastime during her latest appearance this week. The Princess of Wales visited Home-Start Oxford on Thursday to learn about the organisation’s work supporting parents who are juggling work, finances, and creating a loving home for their children.
Kate spoke to sisters Mariam Namakula, 30, and Sumayya Nabatanzi, 28, from Oxford, as their combined five children ran around having fun. Ms Namakula said afterwards: “She was enjoying herself with the kids and said ‘the messier it is, the better the fun’.
“Kate was saying Charlotte enjoys the outdoors and doing activities, and making things and how her kids are growing up fast.
“She said George is 12 years old and would soon be starting secondary school.”
Kate, who wore a Victoria Beckham suit, marked the visit by personally posting on social media after she left.
She said on X: “Attention is the most basic form of love. In our increasingly distracted world, it has never been more important to hold on to what truly connects us – to ourselves, to one another, and to the world around us.
“Thank you to Home-Start and the Rose Hill Community Centre in Oxford for today and for all you do to nurture strong connections in the community. C”
Earlier, Kate published an essay highlighting the importance of creating a firm foundation for the lives of children by helping them develop “strong social and emotional skills”.
She also warned about the “epidemic of disconnection” created by smartphones and other gadgets, and urged society to “invest in the relationships you have with each other” in the piece written in collaboration with Professor Robert Waldinger, director of The Harvard Study of Adult Development.
Kate wrote: “While digital devices promise to keep us connected, they frequently do the opposite. Our smartphones, tablets and computers have become sources of constant distraction, fragmenting our focus and preventing us from giving others the undivided attention that relationships require.
“We sit together in the same room while our minds are scattered across dozens of apps, notifications and feeds. We’re physically present but mentally absent, unable to fully engage with the people right in front of us.”
