Category: The Royal Foundation

Week In Review: October 08, 2023 – October 14, 2023

The Prince and Princess of Wales took a train trip to Birmingham on October 10, 2023, to commemorate World Mental Health Day. They chose Birmingham, which has the youngest demographic of any city in the UK, for the occasion. Their focus was on understanding emotions and building positive relationships among young people. To this end, they hosted a summit for 100 young people called “Exploring our Emotional Worlds.”

During the summit, the Prince and Princess of Wales joined young people as they participated in a series of workshops run by The Mix and National Citizen Service. The workshops were focused on emotions, relationships, and community action.

The Princess of Wales wore a pair of gold-plated star-shaped earrings gifted to her by Sarah Renton, a Maidenhead Rugby Club coach whom she met in June. The earrings were designed by Phipps’ cousin and owner of EarSass, Sophie McGown, and were named “Issy Star.” in honor of Sarah’s daughter — Isobelle Phipps, 17 — who died by suicide earlier this year. The proceeds from the jewelry purchase are donated to the mental health charity Brave Minds.

Help the Princess of Wales support Brave Minds by purchasing your earrings here.

On October 11, 2023, The Princess of Wales visited Nottingham Trent University to learn about the mental health support provided to students at the beginning of the new academic year. She had the opportunity to meet with students and colleagues who help students with their mental health at a Freshers Fayre-style exhibition, followed by participating in well-being sessions. During the sessions, The Princess discussed with three students about peer-to-peer mentoring, which is a way of supporting each other at the University. She also participated in the ‘step in circle,’ part of the University’s “Welcome Workshop,” which encourages students to share experiences to help them build confidence, proactively manage their well-being, and raise awareness of the wide range of available support networks.

Moreover, The Princess learned about how Nottingham University uses data derived from student behavior to identify those who may not be thriving. They use a dashboard to manage student engagement in courses, and when a student stops engaging, it can indicate issues with their mental well-being. The University reaches out to such students to learn about their disengagement and help them find appropriate support. The information is also given to the student to help them manage their learning and is used for personalized support and tutorial discussions with staff.

On October 12, 2023, The Prince and Princess of Wales attended a mental fitness workshop at Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre. The workshop was organized by SportsAid, a charity supported by The Princess since 2013. The workshop was held in collaboration with BelievePerform. It helps young people and their families manage their mental well-being and build the skills needed for a happy and healthy life. During the visit, The Prince and Princess participated in sessions with young athletes and parents to see the support provided by SportsAid in building mental fitness. In the sessions, they also joined SportsAid ambassadors, including Paralympic swimmer Ellie Simmonds and netball player Ama Agbeze. The couple also took part in two practical sessions with young athletes to build mental resilience, including playing a game of goalball, a visually impaired Paralympic sport.

GALLERY LINKS:

– Engagements & Tour Photos > 2023 > October 10 | World Mental Health Day – Factory Works
– Engagements & Tour Photos > 2023 > October 11 | World Mental Health Day – Nottingham Trent University
– Engagements & Tour Photos > 2023 > October 12 | SportsAid At Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre

Photos & Roundup: February 22 – Royal Visit Denmark – Day 1

The Duchess of Cambridge, Joint Patron, the Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, arrived in Denmark and was received upon her arrival at Copenhagen International Airport by Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark (Her Excellency Mrs. Emma Hopkins). Her Royal Highness visited the Centre for Early Intervention and Family Studies at the University of Copenhagen, Nørregade. The Duchess of Cambridge afterward visited Børnemuseet: the Children’s Museum in Frederiksberg then the Lego Foundation PlayLab at the Campus Carlsberg, University College Copenhagen, Humletorvet.

GALLERY LINK
Engagements & Tour Photos > 2022> Pakistan Tour > February 22 | Royal Visit: Denmark – Set 1 – Day 1

January 29 – Visiting LEYF Gardens Nursery

On January 29, 2020 Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge visited LEYF Stockwell Nursery & Pre-School.

Catherine was scheduled to make the visit on January 22, 2020 as part of her 24 hour tour for the launch of her ‘5 Big Questions’ online survey, but the visit got canceled due to inclement weather.

During her visit Catherine spoke to parents and staff about the online survey and talked with the chefs and apprentices from the LEYF Chef Academy about the importance of nutritious food for child development.

GALLERY LINK
Engagements & Tour Photos > 2020 > January 29 | ‘5 Big Questions ‘ – Stockwell Gardens Nursery

January 22 – ‘5 Big Questions’ 24 Hour Tour

On January 22, 2020 The Duchess of Cambridge visited Cardiff and Surrey to promote the launch of her’5 Big Questions’ online survey.

In her first stop The Duchess of Cambridge visited Ely and Careau Children’s Centre where she joined a baby sensory class to hear about the support that parents receive and she also talked to about the ‘5 Big Questions’ survey. During a conversation The Duchess opened up about feeling isolated in Anglesey after the birth of Prince George.

She said: “It’s nice to be back in Wales. I was chatting to some of the mums. It was the first year and I’d just had George – William was still working with search and rescue and we came up here and I had a tiny, tiny baby in the middle of Anglesey. It was so isolated, so cut off. I didn’t have any family around, and he was doing night shifts. If only I had had a center like this.”

In Surrey, The Duchess of Cambridge returned to HMP Send Women’s Prison for the first time since 2015. There she met with some of the women she met in 2015, who have since been successfully rehabilitated, released and are rebuilding their families. The Duchess also talked to women who are currently at the prison receiving support from The Forward Trust, a charity which helps clients improve their relationships with friends and family.

GALLERY LINK
Engagements & Tour Photos > 2020 > January 22 | ‘5 Big Questions’ 24 Hour Tour

January 21 – Launching Landmark UK-Wide Survey On Early Childhood

On January 21, 2020 The Duchess of Cambridge launched 5 Big Questions, a landmark survey which gives people across the UK an opportunity to provide their view on raising the next generation.

In March 2018, The Duchess of Cambridge announced during a symposium at the Royal Society for Medicine that she had convened a steering group to look at 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 5 years of age. The steering group’s recommendations, on behalf of The Duchess, formed the basis of The Royal Foundation’s strategy for developing her work in this area.

The fruit of this steering group is 5 Big Questions, a landmark survey which gives people across the UK an opportunity to provide their view on raising the next generation. The ‘5 Big Questions’ online poll is being conducted by Ipsos Mori on behalf of The Royal Foundation and “aims to spark the biggest ever conversation on early childhood”. The results of the survey will be made available in March and will determine the next steps in Catherine’s early years work.

To kick off the initiative The Duchess visited MiniBrum at Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum where she met with health professionals, parents, a group of children and supporters.

The Duchess will then continue promotion of her online poll by going on a 24 hour tour, making stops in London, Cardiff and Surrey.

GALLERY LINK
Engagements & Tour Photos > 2020 > January 21 | Launching Landmark UK-Wide Survey On Early Childhood

November 12 – Attending Shout’s Crisis Volunteer Celebration Event

On November 12, 2019 The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended Shout’s Crisis Volunteer Celebration Event at the Troubadour White City Theater.

Shout is a text service developed by The Royal Foundation as a legacy of the Heads Together Campaign that was launched by The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and The Duke and Duchess of Sussex in May of 2019.

In the announcement released in May, Kensington Palace said: “…Shout, [is a] a text messaging service available 24/7 to those struggling with mental health in the U.K. The program pairs users with trained volunteers to help those in need “move from a moment of crisis to a calm state and form a plan for next steps to find longer-term support…”

Volunteers have so far had 145,000 conversations and exchanged six million messages with those in crisis.

During the event The Duke and Duchess met volunteers, mental health campaigners, staff members, and supporters to learn about the service that supports people in crisis.

GALLERY LINK
Engagements & Tour Photos > 2019 > November 12 | Attending Shout’s Crisis Volunteer Celebration Event

The Duke & Duchess of Sussex Will Split From The Royal Foundation

Later this year The Royal Foundation will become the principal charitable and philanthropic vehicle for The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will establish their own new charitable foundation with transitional operating support from The Royal Foundation. In addition both couples will continue to work together on projects in the future, including on The Foundation’s mental health programme, Heads Together.

These changes are designed to best complement the work and responsibilities of Their Royal Highnesses as they prepare for their future roles, and to better align their charitable activity with their new households.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are incredibly proud of what they have achieved together through The Royal Foundation. They are especially proud to have established a charity that has had, and will continue to have, significant long-lasting impact, changing lives for the better.

Whether through the establishment of The Invictus Games, changing the national conversation on mental health through Heads Together, or setting up Shout, the UK’s first text-based crisis support service, The Foundation’s innovative ethos, ability to convene, and its incubator style has proven to be incredibly powerful and successful.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge wish to build on The Foundation’s past successes, continuing programmes such as ‘Heads Up’, the new mental health campaign delivered in partnership with the FA, ‘United for Wildlife’ which runs a global taskforce tackling the illegal wildlife trade, and ‘Mentally Healthy Schools’ which supports teachers and staff improve child mental health. They are also developing new initiatives on the environment and support for children and families which The Foundation expects to announce in the coming year.

Source: The Royal Foundation

The Cambridges & Sussexes Launch Mental Health Texting Service ‘Shout’

It’s been a busy week for the royals, with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex welcoming their first child, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge traveling to Wales for a day of engagements, and Prince Harry visiting the Hague to launch an Invictus Games 2020 countdown. And now, both royal couples are coming together to launch an initiative that speaks to an issue they’ve long championed: mental health awareness.

The Cambridges and Sussexes have teamed up to debut Shout, a text messaging service available 24/7 to those struggling with mental health in the U.K. The program pairs users with trained volunteers to help those in need “move from a moment of crisis to a calm state and form a plan for next steps to find longer-term support,” according to a Kensington Palace announcement.

Shout is a part of the Royal Foundation’s Heads Together initiative, a campaign established in 2016 that works with a variety of charities to break the stigma around conversations surrounding mental health issues.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex released a joint statement about Shout:

“We are incredibly excited to be launching this service, knowing it has the potential to reach thousands of vulnerable people every day. Over the last few months Shout has started working quietly behind the scenes. We have all been able to see the service working up close and are so excited for its future. At the heart of this service will be an incredible national volunteer community, one which needs to grow to allow us to support more people in crisis. We hope that many more of you will join us and be part of something very special.”

Prince William also appears in a launch video for the service, discussing the work that went into the launching the program. “Over the past few months, Shout has started working quietly behind the scenes,” he says. “Harry, Meghan, Catherine and I have been able to see the service working up close, and are very excited for its future.”

Shout already has a volunteer base of 1,000, but the organization hopes to increase that to 4,000 by the end of 2019. Prince William closes his message with a final call to action: “This will make a huge difference to people’s lives, and I really hope you will come and join our team.”

Source: Harpers Bazaar

May 07 – The Duke And Duchess Of Cambridge Launch The King’s Cup Regatta

Today, May 07, 2019 The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge made a previously unannounced visit to Cutty Sark, to launch The King’s Cup Regatta. The event coincided with the announcement that The Duke and Duchess will host the new annual sailing event in August on the Isle of Wight as well as go head to head as skippers of individual sailing boats in an eight boat regatta race, to raise awareness and funds for eight of their Patronages. The winning team will be awarded The King’s Cup, a historic trophy first presented by King George V at Cowes’ Royal Yacht Squadron in 1920. The Duchess’s chosen charities are Action on Addiction, Place2Be, The Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, and The Royal Foundation in connection with Her Royal Highness’s work on Early Years. Today, The Duke and Duchess joined children from Place2Be and other charities in trying out sailing simulators and they also unveiled the King’s Cup. Upon their departure they took a moment to greet crowds in an impromptu walkabout.

VIDEOS: Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Face Off in Virtual Sailing Race

In even more exciting news, The Duke and Duchess also spoke about the birth of their new nephew.

GALLERY LINK
May 07 | The Duke And Duchess Of Cambridge Launch The King’s Cup Regatta

Photos: November 21 – Visiting The UCL Developmental Neuroscience Lab

Today, (November 21, 2018) The Duchess of Cambridge made a previously unannounced visit to the UCL Developmental Risk and Resilience Unit to see how environment and biology shape the way children develop socially and emotionally. The Duchess talked with Professor Eamon McCrory and members of his neuroscience research team about their work with children and their families. During her visit The Duchess also toured the MRI Scanning Facility and learned about their groundbreaking research on how early experience shapes brain function. This visit advances Catherine’s work in learning about and supporting charities, health professionals, teachers, and scientist that offer early intervention for children and families streaming from her early work with issues like mental illness, addiction and family breakdown.

GALLERY LINK
Engagements & Tour Photos > 2018 > November 21 | Visiting The UCL Developmental Neuroscience Lab

Photos: November 15 – The Royal Foundation’s Annual Dinner

On (November 15, 2019) The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended The Royal Foundation’s Annual Dinner at the Victoria House in London, England. The dinner is in support of The Royal Foundation which revolves around four main themes of work; mental health, wildlife and conservation, young people and the armed forces community. The Duchess of Sussex became the fourth Principal Patron following her marriage to Prince Harry in May 2018. The Royal Foundation is the Cambridge’s and Sussex’s main vehicle for their philanthropic causes as they seek 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. While we normally do not get photos from this event musician Tom Walker who performed at the event shared some of his photos with the William, Catherine, Harry, and Meghan.

GALLERY LINK
Engagements & Tour Photos > 2018 > November 15 | The Royal Foundation’s Annual Dinner

Photos: November 15 – The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Visit The BBC

This morning, (November 15, 2018) The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge made a previously unannounced visit to The BBC Broadcasting House in London, England. The couple visited the BBC to view the work the broadcaster is doing as a key member of Prince William’s Taskforce on the Prevention of Cyberbullying. The Cyberbullying Taskforce is part of the Royal Foundation and was launched in April 2016 during Anti-Bullying Week when Prince William brought together leading tech companies, NGOs and independent advisers in a Taskforce chaired by Brent Hoberman CBE, to tackle this issue. During their visit the couple joined the BBC The One Show where they met Ellie, Eliza and Cameron from Wormholt Park Primary School for a discussion on the upcoming Kids Online Wellbeing App. They also met with young people who wrote and performed in a new campaign video for “Stop Speak Support”, a youth-led code of conduct to provide guidance on what to do when they witness bullying online. The Duke of Cambridge also gave an impassioned speech about his concerns of cyberbullying and his fears that big companies aren’t doing enough to protect individuals. You can read his full speech here or watch it here. You don’t want to miss it.

GALLERY LINK
Engagements & Tour Photos > 2018 > November 15 | The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Visit The BBC