Princess of Wales flexes her royal summoning power and gives her biggest speech yet
It was a big moment for the Princess of Wales.
This was billed as a landmark speech and the most important she’s ever delivered.
If the early years is her life’s work, the speech certainly felt like her manifesto.
And we saw for the first time, the princess flexing her global convening power – bringing together international leaders and experts to talk and think about the early years.
We’re told Kate wants to use her role to bring impactful change, and her speech set out why and how she hopes to do this.
It was certainly what the auditorium wanted to hear.
Through her Centre for Early Childhood, she’s carried out international research into the key social and emotional skills children need to succeed in adulthood.
As Princess of Wales, she holds a unique position – and it is a position she has a global ambition for.
Her symposium set in motion ways she wants the world to work and help early development.
The guestlist was impressive. Both Sir Tony Blair and Lord Hague shared a stage with jokes and thoughts on the skills you need to succeed.
Their presence, though, was also a reminder this project brings the princess very close to government policy and politics.
Sir Tony’s Sure Start scheme, launched under his leadership more than 20 years ago, was all about joined-up thinking when it came to the early years.
Kate cannot get involved with policy or politics, but sources say she can “pull levers” to make things happen, and unlike politicians, she’s not bound by a limited time in office.
Since becoming Princess of Wales we’ve started to see a more business-like side to Kate.
She wants to take this further and make a difference to people’s lives.
One significant speech is a step, but the success of her “life’s work” will be judged on what it ultimately achieves.