Duchess of Cambridge and Jill Biden say better care and education for our young children is key

The Duchess of Cambridge and Jill Biden have said better care and education for young children is key to rebuilding the UK after lockdown.

Kate Middleton joined the US First Lady yesterday to meet children aged four and five in reception class at the Connor Downs Academy near Camborne followed by a round table discussion with UK education experts.

In a joint opinion piece written for CNN the women said a ‘fundamental shift’ was needed in the UK and US’ approach to educating children.

While Mrs Biden has been a teacher for more than 30 years, Kate has shown a passion for early years since becoming a mother to her children George, 7, Charlotte, 6, and Louis, 3.

Kate Middleton joined the US First Lady (pictured together) yesterday to meet children aged four and five in reception class at the Connor Downs Academy near Camborne followed by a round table discussion with UK education experts

In a joint opinion piece written for CNN the women said a ‘fundamental shift’ was needed in the UK and US’ approach to educating children. Pictured, the women at Connor Downs Academy

The pair suggested world leaders focus on building society back stronger after the coronavirus pandemic.

They called for Britons and Americans to make sure caregivers ‘feel valued, supported, and cared for’, while ‘early childhood care and education should be seen as among the defining, strategic issues of our time’.

The article added: ‘As we look to a post-pandemic future, there are few issues more worthy of our attention than the transformative power of early childhood care and education for our communities and nations.’

The women said more conversations around care giving were needed as they called for CEOs to consider how they support working parents.

The pair suggested world leaders focus on building society back stronger after the coronavirus pandemic. Pictured, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s twitter post

During yesterday’s visit the royal mother-of-three and the US First Lady discussed female empowerment, children and early education during a seminar on their shared passion for children. 

Kate is at the centre of Britain’s diplomatic mission to woo the US as Boris Johnson pushes for a quick free trade deal with Joe Biden as well as a quarantine-free travel corridor this summer. 

The animated pair, who met for the first time yesterday, seemed to get on like a house on fire as they met children, staff and even helped feed carrots to the class rabbit, Storm. Kate also told reporters she ‘can’t wait to meet’ her new niece Lilibet.

Around an hour later, after a quick outfit change, Mrs Biden was on the beach with her husband Joe where the couple met Boris and Carrie Johnson as G7 leaders and their partners gathered on the sands of Carbis Bay, St Ives. 

The pair, who have never met before, shared a laugh as they arrived for the official visit

Kate also said she was overjoyed that Meghan and Harry had a second child – but admitted she has not met the child virtually yet

Mr Biden made a quip urging people to go swimming, saying ‘everyone in the water’- with Mr Johnson joking in response that he had already been in. Mrs Biden then laughed and said: ‘I feel like we are at a wedding’. 

The Duchess of Cambridge met Donald Trump and Melania when they visited the UK in 2019, after tweets from 2012 emerged where he blamed Kate for sunbathing ‘nude’ when the French magazine Closer published the pictures. The Cambridges successfully sued the publisher over their ‘grotesque’ decision. 

The duchess has made early years development one of the main pillars of her public role since she first became a member of the royal family.   

In 2020, she launched her Early Years survey, a a milestone moment for her work on the importance of early childhood in shaping the rest of our lives and broader societal outcomes. 

In 2018 she created a steering group to investigate the link between childhood experiences and adult behaviour and hopes that the results of their survey and other research will encourage a ‘nationwide conversation’ on the subject, raising awareness of how the first five years of a child’s life will impact the next 50 years. 

The women got on very well on their first meeting, which could lead to more over the coming years because both share a passion for education

Dr Jill showed children a picture of the White House, where she lives with the US President Joe Biden. The young students have been learning about it ahead of the visit

Kate and Mrs Biden are seen talking to children and their teacher. One child is seen clutching the class’s pet rabbit

It comes amid a difficult week for the family, following what would have been the Duke of Edinburgh’s 100th birthday.

On Thursday members of the royal family took to social media to pay tribute to Prince Philip. 

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge took to the Kensington Royal Twitter and shared two snaps of the Queen planting a beautiful ‘Duke of Edinburgh’ rose in the East Terrace Garden in Prince Philip’s honour on Wednesday. 

Meanwhile earlier this week Prince Harry threatened the BBC with legal action after it reported that he and Meghan Markle did not ask the Queen for permission to name their daughter Lilibet – as an extraordinary three-way briefing war broke out between the Sussexes, the Palace and the corporation.