Princess of Wales eases back to work with childcare project

The Princess of Wales has been working from home on her early years project to improve the lives of babies, as she eases back into normal life after her abdominal surgery.

Kensington Palace confirmed that she had been kept up to date with her campaign and the “overwhelmingly positive” results of a study she inspired.

It comes after a security breach emerged this week in which members of staff at the private hospital where the Princess was treated allegedly attempted to access her medical records. 

Three workers have reportedly been placed under investigation by the London Clinic.

The Princess’s Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood has funded a trial of a baby observation tool, which is to be used by health visitors to improve how they spot signs of social and emotional development in young children, with the results being published on Thursday.

Having personally suggested that the tool could be used in Britain after seeing a similar system during a royal visit to Denmark, the Princess has been particularly invested in the four-month trial.

A spokesman for Kensington Palace said: “The Princess has been kept updated throughout the process.”

On Wednesday, other members of the Royal family were seen carrying out public duties as normal despite the continued social media storm over the Princess’s edited Mothering Sunday photo. 

The Prince of Wales made a visit to Combermere Barracks in Windsor, as the Colonel of the Welsh Guards, while the Queen represented the monarch on a public engagement in the Isle of Man. 

The King, meanwhile, was pictured leaving his London residence in a separate car ahead of his wife as royal well-wishers lined the Mall to wave to Their Majesties.

The comment from Kensington Palace is the first official update on the Princess’s early years work since her recovery from surgery in January, during which she has been taken off public duties.

Ordinarily, she would have been expected to undertake engagements relating to the study’s publication. 

Instead, she has been at home recovering and is just starting to get back on her feet for small outings, including to a Windsor Farm Shop at the weekend.

The Princess of Wales’s Centre for Early Childhood will on Thursday report the results of a study conducted in two NHS trusts by the Institute of Health Visiting and the University of Oxford.

It asked health visitors to use a version of a tool known as the Alarm Distress Baby Scale (ADBB), which focuses on a baby’s social behaviours such as eye contact, facial expression, vocalisation and activity levels, to help experts and families better understand the ways babies express their feelings. 

Those who used it reported an increase in their knowledge and skills in interpreting baby behaviour, which left them better able to support families.

The report recommends expanding the use of the tool to health visiting teams in more areas of the UK.

‘Hugely beneficial’

The trial was inspired by the Princess of Wales’s trip to Denmark in 2022, where she met families who had benefited from the ADBB system and returned home wanting to see if it would translate to Britain.

It has been funded by the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood.

Health visitors from South Warwickshire described the training as “hugely beneficial” and “of great importance” to their practice, requiring minimal additional time during appointments.

They also reported that it allowed them to have more meaningful conversations with parents about their baby’s emotional wellbeing, boosting positive parent-infant attachment and identifying families in greater need of support. 

They identified behavioural concerns in 10 per cent of the babies during the study as a result of using the tool.

Christian Guy, executive director of the Centre for Early Childhood, said: “The results of the initial phase of testing are so encouraging. 

“We now want to move quickly to ensure we build on this work, bringing the benefits of this model to more health visitors across the country so that, ultimately, more babies and their families get the support they need to thrive.”

Dr Jane Barlow, professor of evidence-based intervention and policy evaluation at the University of Oxford, who oversaw the evaluation of the trial, said: “It is truly exciting to think about [the] impact this could have on families right across the country as we enter the next phase of this research.”

The Princess has regularly spoken of the importance of the first five years of life, as well as her hopes for prioritising the social and emotional development of all children.

The Centre for Early Childhood was established in 2021 and is part of The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales.