Princess of Wales commissions research on nature and child development

The Princess of Wales has commissioned new work examining how nature can support the healthy development of babies and young children, with a programme from the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood scheduled to launch next year. Kensington Palace announced the project on October 16. The work, supported by the Duchy of Cornwall as a founding partner, will explore how nature, creativity and relationships may help nurture the social and emotional skills associated with lifelong health and wellbeing. In a video message, the Princess said the project would examine how nature could support young children’s development. She described the natural environment as important to psychological and physiological wellbeing and said the research aims to help build supportive environments that make nature more accessible to babies, young children and families across the UK. The potential benefits are the project’s focus, not established findings from the work, which has yet to begin. The announcement follows a private visit by the Princess and Prince William to the Duchy’s Nansledan site in Cornwall on Thursday, October 15, according to reports. The visit was described as an opportunity...