The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle attended the first annual Royal Foundation Forum on 28 February 2018.
During the forum, Their Royal Highness and Ms. Markle took part in a panel discussion to talk about how The Foundation was founded and their ambitions for its future. Ms. Markle will formally become the fourth Patron of The Royal Foundation after her and Prince Harry’s wedding on 19 May 2018.
The Duchess of Cambridge has become Patron of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), and Patron of the Nursing Now campaign.
The new patronages were announced ahead of Her Royal Highness’ visit to the RCOG and St. Thomas’ Hospital afterwards, where The Duchess officially launched the Nursing Now campaign.
His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge will visit Jordan, Israel, and the Occupied Palestinian Territories from Sunday 24th June until Thursday 28th June at the request of Her Majesty’s Government.
The visit will be The Duke’s first to the region.
In Jordan, His Royal Highness will be able to build on the strong links that exist not only between the two countries, but also between their respective Royal families who have visited each other many times over the years. In Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the visit will be the first official tour on behalf of the Government by a Member of The Royal Family.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited Coach Core in Essex last week.
Coach Core is an apprenticeship programme that helps young people who are not in education, employment or training to build a career in sports coaching.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge undertook two engagements in support of deployed military personnel and their families who will be apart over the festive period.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge hosted a Christmas party in London for families and children of deployed personnel, before visiting those personnel in Cyprus.
The Duchess of Cambridge has become Patron of Evelina London Children’s Hospital.
The new patronage was announced ahead of Her Royal Highness’ visit to Evelina London with The Duke of Cambridge. The visit saw Their Royal Highnesses learn more about how the hospital supports children and their families, and the specialist services provided to children with rare and complex conditions.
Through visits to hospitals and hospices The Duchess has seen first-hand the impact that comprehensive care and support can have upon young children. Her Royal Highness’s new patronage of Evelina London provides an opportunity to champion the medical professionals working on the front-line in children’s healthcare, and shine a light on their work supporting children in their early years.
To highlight the benefits of the great outdoors and inspire children, families and communities to get back to nature, The Duchess of Cambridge, the Royal Horticultural Society and landscape architects Davies White have today announced that they will design and build the 2019 RHS Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show.
The garden will build on Her Royal Highness’s passion for the outdoors and the proven benefits that nature has on physical and mental health. The Duchess is a strong advocate for the positive impact that nature and the environment can have on childhood development, demonstrated by her longstanding support for organisations including the Scouts and Farms for City Children, as well as at more recent engagements to Sayers Croft Forest School and Wildlife Garden, the RHS Campaign for School Gardening, and her visit this week to Islington Community Garden.
Based on a woodland, the garden seeks to recapture for adults the sense of wonder and magic that they enjoyed as children, in addition to kindling excitement and a passion for nature in future generations. Wild planting and natural materials will be used to recreate a woodland wilderness where children and adults alike can feel closer to the great outdoors.
The Duchess of Cambridge visited Family Action’s Lewisham base this week, which provides a range of valuable community support for children and families in South London.
The Duchess was there to launch a new national support line ‘FamilyLine’ and to meet carers and volunteers involved.
At the start of Children’s Mental Health Week 2019, The Duchess of Cambridge visited Lavender Primary School and Alperton Community School to find out more about the support offered to students, teachers and parents to help with mental wellbeing.
First, The Duchess of Cambridge visited Lavender Primary School in London as Patron of Place2Be.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have sent a personal message to New Zealand following the mass shooting that left 49 people dead in Christchurch yesterday.
“Our hearts go out to the families and friends of the people who lost their lives in the devastating attack in Christchurch.
“We have all been fortunate to spend time in Christchurch and have felt the warm, open-hearted and generous spirit that is core to its remarkable people. No person should ever have to fear attending a sacred place of worship.
The Foundling Museum is honoured to announce that Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge has become its Patron.
This patronage recognises the Museum’s unique work to transform the wellbeing and life chances of vulnerable children and young adults through creative collaboration with artists. Drawing on its landmark history, the Museum improves the skills, confidence and joy in life of young people at society’s margins.
More: https://www.looktothestars.org/news/18868-duchess-of-cambridge-named-patron-of-foundling-museum
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have sent a message to the people of Sri Lanka following the deadly attacks that killed hundreds of people on Easter Sunday.
“We have been deeply saddened to learn of the devastating attacks in Sri Lanka this Easter Sunday,” they said. "Senseless acts like these in places that people would expect to be at their safest are truly horrifying.
“Our hearts go out to the families and friends of those who have lost their lives, to the Christian community, and to the people of Sri Lanka at this tragic time. You are all in our thoughts and prayers.”
Last week, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced the launch of Shout.
After three years of research, planning and an investment of £3 million, The Royal Foundation is delighted to see the launch of Shout. This is the biggest initiative The Royal Foundation has incubated to date and has led to the setting up of the first charity dedicated to digital innovation to support mental health.
Shout is one of the UK’s most innovative and pioneering digital mental health support services, making it easier for people in crisis to get help. It is a text messaging service for people in crisis – free to use, confidential and available 24/7.
More: https://www.looktothestars.org/news/19004-royals-announce-launch-of-mental-health-helpline
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge celebrated the resilience and spirit of rural and farming communities during a day of engagements in Cumbria.
Their Royal Highnesses met members of the local rural community involved in farming, mountain rescue and wildlife conservation in the beautiful Lake District.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended the naming ceremony for a new polar ship which will help us understand more about the Earth as a sustainable planet.
The new polar ship was commissioned by The Natural Environment Research Council, built by Cammell Laird and operated by British Antarctic Survey.
The Duchess of Cambridge recently visited Sunshine House, where she met the Southwark Family Nurse Partnership (FNP) team.
FNP is a voluntary home visiting programme for first-time parents aged 24 and under: parents are partnered with a specially trained family nurse who visits them regularly, from early pregnancy until their child is two.
More: https://www.looktothestars.org/news/19334-duchess-of-cambridge-visits-sunshine-house
The Duchess of Cambridge has become Royal Patron of Family Action.
Her Majesty The Queen has passed the patronage to The Duchess having held the role for over 65 years. Her Majesty took the patronage over from Queen Mary in 1953. To mark her new patronage, The Duchess is visiting Peterley Manor Farm where she will join families and children supported by the Family Action taking part in Christmas activities.
The Duchess of Cambridge has spent much of the last eight years meeting charities and organisations who work every day to make our families and communities stronger. There is a powerful correlation between a parent or carer’s wellbeing and their child’s development, which is why organisations such as Family Action that provide support are instrumental to a child’s future. This new patronage aligns with Her Royal Highness’ longstanding work on the early years, and the importance of supporting children and families during this seminal period of their lives.
The Duchess of Cambridge took her landmark survey to London during a breakfast at LEYF (London Early Years Foundation) Stockwell Gardens Nursery and Pre-school this week.
Her Royal Highness discussed the Royal Foundation’s landmark survey ‘5 Big Questions on the Under Fives’, which was launched last week and aims to spark a UK-wide conversation on raising the next generation.
Earlier this week, the Duchess of Cambridge released a special message to mark the Place2Be Children’s Mental Health Week 2020.
“For many children today, the world can feel a scary and daunting place,” said the Duchess. "While we might not always feel brave inside, even the smallest act – such as sharing a worry or asking for help – can be incredibly courageous. Helping children to feel confident about seeking support can have a transformational impact on their lives.
“Being able to try new things and push ourselves outside of our comfort zone are important skills that can build children’s resilience and self-esteem. Learning these skills early in life can give children tools to cope with future challenges they may face in adulthood.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited the London Ambulance Centre in Croydon to meet staff who have been taking NHS 111 calls from the public, and thank them for the vital work they are doing.
During the visit, Their Royal Highnesses spoke to staff members and the Chief Executive of the London Ambulance Service, Garrett Emmerson, about how they are dealing with the increase in demand on the NHS 111 service.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have marked Volunteers’ Week by speaking to volunteers in different parts of the country to thank them for the support that they provide to their communities.
The Duke and Duchess called volunteers from two organisations that rely on their volunteer networks to help run and support their services: Conscious Youth which is based in Kirklees, West Yorkshire, and Machynlleth Community Corona Response in Powys, Wales.
In each of the calls, Their Royal Highnesses passed on their thanks for the time and commitment that each volunteer, and those from across the organisations’ wider volunteering networks, give to ensure the provision of support and services within their communities.
More: https://www.looktothestars.org/news/19772-the-duke-and-duchess-of-cambridge-thank-volunteers
The Duchess of Cornwall and The Duchess of Cambridge have hosted a joint video call with three of their respective children’s hospice Patronages to mark this year’s Children’s Hospice Week and thank all those involved in and supporting children’s hospices across the UK during this critical time.
Their Royal Highnesses were joined by Eddie Farwell, Co-Founder and Chief Executive of Children’s Hospice South West, of which The Duchess of Cornwall is Patron; Clare Periton, Chief Executive of Helen & Douglas House, of which The Duchess of Cornwall is Patron; and The Delf Family, a recently bereaved family whose son received end-of-life care at East Anglia Children’s Hospices (EACH), of which The Duchess of Cambridge is Patron.
The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge has granted nearly £1.8 million in supporting the frontline community and the nation’s mental health, through a bespoke fund which was set up as part of the organisation’s response to COVID-19.
The grants – made to ten leading charities at the heart of mental health and frontline support – build on the work that The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge has already done in recent months to support those on the frontline of the pandemic in the UK, and the mental health sector.
Earlier this week, The Duke and Duchess spoke to four representatives from organisations which will benefit from the fund, including two emergency responders and two mental health counsellors. They heard about the challenges facing organisations and how mental health support will be needed both for those working on the frontline and those delivering vital support to the nation.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on Thursday met aid workers including from Save the Children to hear about the impact of the humanitarian response to the crisis in Ukraine which has forced 4.8 million children from their homes.
The royal couple was welcomed to the London headquarters of The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), a group of 15 member charities, which has raised more than £300 million (US$390 million) to help families affected by the crisis over the weeks, months, and years ahead.
More than five million people have fled Ukraine into neighbouring countries since violence escalated on 24 February and a further 7.1 million are displaced within the country. Latest figures put the number of deaths at 2,224 with more than 450 children killed or injured.
The Princess of Wales has given her backing to baby banks across the UK today to shine a light on the crucial support they provide for families with babies and young children.
The Princess met with the inspiring women who run Sebby’s Corner Baby Bank in Hertfordshire, Cwtch Baby Bank in South Wales, Hartlepool Baby Bank in County Durham, High Peak Baby Bank in Derbyshire and Little Stars in Shropshire.
