The Princess of Wales today makes a fervent plea for a more loving, united and compassionate Britain.
She warns that modern life can leave many people isolated and vulnerable, leading to poor mental health, abuse and addiction. ‘The impact of this… can be devastating for individuals and society,’ she said.
Unveiling details of her latest initiative to create a happier society, Kate emphasises the need to find solutions to ‘these deep-rooted challenges’. And she said the nation must learn to ‘protect and build upon what connects and unites us’.
Her comments accompany the release of a 90-page report from her charity, the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, aimed at improving awareness of social and emotional skills and how they shape lives.
Inevitably, by straying into political waters at a time of ongoing debate about our fractured society, she risks criticism from some quarters.
The horrifying murders of three young girls in Southport last July led to social media-fuelled rioting across the country. Afterwards, Britain was forced to search its soul.
In her first official visit since her cancer treatment, the princess and her husband made an emotional pilgrimage to the town in October and met the victims’ families. The couple posted on social media that it had been a ‘powerful’ reminder of the need to support one another ‘in the wake of unimaginable tragedy’.
Whether Southport influenced Kate’s impassioned intervention is unclear. Royal sources say her comments simply reflect her dedication to her ‘important humanitarian endeavour’.
The Princess warns that modern life can leave many people isolated and vulnerable, leading to poor mental health, abuse and addiction
Unveiling details of her latest initiative to create a happier society, Kate emphasises the need to find solutions to ‘these deep-rooted challenges’
In her first official visit since her cancer treatment, the princess and her husband made an emotional pilgrimage to the town in October and met the victims’ families
The new report, which draws on the expertise of academics and clinicians, highlights how social and emotional skills ‘shape how we manage our emotions’ and ‘communicate with and relate to others’.
It says they are ‘fundamental to our future mental and physical well-being and our ability to form positive relationships… capacity for learning, working and coping with adversity.’ The princess stressed the need to ‘invest in humankind’, adding: ‘To create a physically and mentally healthier society, we must reset, restore and rebalance. That means taking a profound look at ourselves and our own behaviours.
‘It means getting much better at acting with compassion and empathy towards one another… better understanding how we can protect and build upon what connects and unites us… and acknowledging that society is something we build together, through the actions we take every day.
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‘At the heart of all of this is the need for us to develop and nurture a set of social and emotional skills which we must prioritise if we are to thrive.’
She added that the Shaping Us report, sets out a universal approach to understanding these skills – ‘the bedrock of any happy, healthy society’ – and helps organisations ‘of all shapes and sizes’ understand the ways in which they can ‘contribute to making this conceptual model a living, breathing reality for everybody’.
Most importantly, she said, the report ‘shows that we can all play a vital part in building a more loving, empathetic, and compassionate society, and a world with humanity reconnected’.
Christian Guy, executive director of the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, said: ‘It is time that we recognised and acted upon the undeniable significance of social and emotional skills and give them the recognition they deserve.
‘Getting this right in early childhood, when we lay the foundations upon which these skills continue to grow throughout our lives, could have a truly profound impact on the future of individuals and of our society.’
Separately, the princess was ‘delighted’ last week after her first NHS scientific trial, designed to support the emotional development of babies, proved so successful it is being expanded to eight NHS trusts.
The trial evaluates the use of a special tool used by health visitors at the regular six to eight-week check to identify babies at risk during a critical period of development and helps understand the ways babies communicate.