Kate Middleton and her husband, Prince William, visited the Foundling Museum in London on Wednesday for their first public engagement of 2022.
It comes after the Cambridges celebrated Kate’s 40th birthday earlier this month and spent Christmas with the Middletons in Norfolk.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge met with representatives from the care sector, including those who have lived in care.
The Foundling Museum tells the story of the Foundling Hospital, which was founded in 1739 as a home for children whose mothers couldn’t keep or care for them. To continue to use creative action to transform and improve the lives of care-experienced young people, the Museum offers training, mentorship programs, and creative projects led and developed by contemporary artists, writers, and musicians.
The Cambridges first participated in a roundtable discussion with experts and stakeholders from across the sector to discuss the wider landscape of care in the UK, as well as the challenges that young people leaving care face, such as employment, housing, mental health, and addiction, and the work that is being done to address these issues.
The Duke and Duchess then spent time with people who have worked in the care system, including Lemn Sissay, a poet and author, Kriss Akabusi, a former track and field athlete, and writer Allan Jenkins.
Kate became a patron of the Foundling Museum in 2019 because she is passionate about raising awareness about the importance of early childhood experiences.
The Duchess wore a familiar petrol blue coat over a navy roll neck and trousers combo to keep warm in the January chill.
For her first royal appearance of 2022, Kate wore a new pair of statement earrings from the high street. Accessorize’s Mini hammered doorknocker hoop earrings, which were already sold out, were reduced in the sale to £2.10 from £7.
As they walked out of the museum, the Duchess placed her hand on her husband’s arm, affectionately.
