On Monday, the Prince and Princess of Wales attended the Centre for Early Childhood “Shaping Us” Campaign Preview and Reception ahead of the Campaign’s official launch on Tuesday.

In her speech ahead of the launch, the Princess of Wales said: “We're starting by highlighting how we develop during early childhood and why these years matter so much in terms of shaping who we become. As the campaign progresses, we will explore in more depth the importance of a child's social and emotional world, the significance of relationships, and the impact of the surroundings and experiences a child is exposed to during these formative years. Together these play a key role in shaping our future lives. Yet they rarely get as much focus as our physical health and cognitive development.”

“Shaping Us” is a new long-term campaign from The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood which was kickstarted with an awareness video showing how a little girl named Layla develops from pregnancy to age five and how she is shaped by her interactions with her surroundings. The claymation film will be shown in cinemas in the UK from Friday.

The Centre for Early Childhood also released a new report on public understanding of child development which shows around one in three (36%) adults report knowing just a little or nothing about how children develop in their early childhood. You can read the report here.

The ‘Shaping Us’ campaign page also shows short videos featuring Eamon McCrory, Professor of Developmental Neuroscience and Psychopathology at University College London, explaining why early childhood matters to everyone.

At the reception, the Princess of Wales wore an Alexander McQueen suit with her Gianvito Rossi pumps, her Miu Miu clutch, and her Chalk Jewelry earrings. When arriving at the event, she was pictured carrying her Smythson bag.