The Princess of Wales couldn’t hide her delight as she was showered with hugs from a group of primary school children while reopening the Young V&A museum in London.
The royal, 41, who has made children’s early development a key focus of her work, met students from Globe Primary School in Bethnal Green at her engagement today.
The Young V&A – which was formerly known as the V&A Museum of Childhood – is situated in East London and will officially reopen to the public on Saturday following a three-year £13m renovation.
As she arrived at the renovated Grade II-listed building this morning, Kate appeared in great spirits and shook hands with a member of the museum’s staff – including Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum Tristan Hunt.
The mother-of-three – who is the V&A’s first ever patron and a keen photographer – was then taken on a tour of the premises by children who were instrumental to the redesign.
The Princess of Wales couldn’t mask her delight as she was showered with hugs from students at the Globe Primary School
During the tour, Kate stopped and spoke with students at the nearby Bethnal Green primary school and found herself in the centre of a group hug.
The mother-of-three beamed at the youngsters as they wrapped their arms around her waist.
Sharing the heartwarming images on Twitter, the primary school’s official account wrote: ‘Big hugs from Globe children to the Princess of Wales at the preview of our wonderful local museum, the Young V&A.’
Later in the tour, the Princess was also seen engaging with other young children and dishing out high fives.
What’s more, the children of Globe Primary School also gave Kate three goodie bags to take home for her children Prince George, nine, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five.
As part of the extensive redesign, museum staff worked closely with local schoolchildren, parents and teachers to reimagine display areas and contributing ideas for galleries.
The institute – which is dedicated to children aged between 0-14 and will be free to access – houses three new galleries called Play, Imagine and Design.
The distinct areas have nearly 2,000 items on display from the V&A’s collections which aim to inspire children’s creativity.
Pictured: The Princess of Wales gives students from a local primary school high fives as she leaves the Young V&A
The Princess of Wales smiled and waved to crowds as she departed the Young V&A following its official reopening
Sharing the images on Twitter, the school wrote: ‘Big hugs from Globe children to the Princess of Wales at the preview of our wonderful local museum, the Young V&A.’
The Princess of Wales wrapped her arms around the children as she found herself in the middle of a group hug
The Princess of Wales, 41, got stuck into some playtime with the children as they took a break from the tour today
The Princess of Wales beams as she spoke with schoolchildren at the Young V&A reopening in East London
The royal mother-of-three beamed as she watched the children play in one of the newly redesigned spaces
The Princess of Wales pictured being showered with hugs from students from The Globe primary school
Children from The Globe primary school were invited to attend the reopening of the Young V&A
The Princess of Wales enthusiastically got stuck in to play time with the children during the museum reopening
Kate pictured during a visit to open the Young V&A in Bethnal Green, east London, ahead of its opening to the public on Saturday
The Princess of Wales inspects a Dr Who Tardis toy with primary school children at the Young V&A
The Princess of Wales attending the reopening of the children’s museum today in her role as royal patron of the V&A
Pictured: the Princess of Wales engages with local schoolchildren attending the V&A museum opening
The Princess of Wales was given goodie bags for George, Charlotte and Louis at the museum’s official re-opening
The Princess of Wales was all smiles as she carried yellow goodie bags from the children who attended today’s reopening
The Princess of Wales styled her long brown hair in her signature loose waves and opted for minimal makeup
The Princess of Wales, 41, pictured speaking with the Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum Tristan Hunt
The Princess of Wales pictured walking down the staircase into the Young V&A’s refurbished courtyard
Left: Mayor of London Sadiq Khan also attended the opening of the museum which is free to visit. Right: Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum Tristan Hunt pictured waiting to greet the Princess of Wales this morning
The Princess of Wales, 41, paired her pink pleated dress with some white heels as she stepped out this morning
The royal kept her jewellery minimal for the occasion – opting for her Mappin & Webb diamond earrings
The Princess of Wales was welcomed by Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum Tristan Hunt upon arrival at the Young V&A
The Princess of Wales has made children’s early development a key focus of her work in recent years
Read Related Also: Outfielder Billy McKinney getting second chance with Yankees
The Princess of Wales wore a pretty pink pleated midi dress and white heels for her engagement in East London
The Princess of Wales pictured entering the Young V&A museum – which will be free to access when it reopens on Saturday
The Princess of Wales (pictured at the re-opening today) has been a patron of the V&A museum since March 2018
Pictured: Kate styled her long brown hair in her signature bouncy blow dry as she met with museum staff
To begin with, Kate – who rewore a pink midi dress by London-based designer Beulah from her 2021 Wimbledon trip – visited the Play Gallery, which is specifically aimed at toddlers with lots of sensory displays.
There, the Princess of Wales learnt about how the gallery has been dedicated to the development of language, motor skills and constructive play.
The royal – who styled her hair in her signature bouncy blow-dry – then paid a visit to the Arcade, which has been designed with teenagers in mind and focuses on the history of video and boardgames.
After this, Kate will headed over to the Design Gallery – which educates children about how innovative objects are created – before finishing off her tour in the Imagine Gallery.
This area contains a variety of spaces where children can put on performances or engage in story-telling. Within the Imagine Gallery, there is a new area called The Stage.
The Princess of Wales will be taken on a tour of the museum by children who helped with the redesign
The Princess of Wales looked effortlessly elegant in a pale pink midi dress for her engagement in East London today
The Princess of Wales opted for her signature bouncy blow-dry and smokey brown eye for her engagement today
The Princess of Wales looked effortlessly elegant in a pink crepe dress, which she previously wore to Wimbledon
The Princess of Wales appeared in great spirits as she shook hands with representatives from the museum
The Princes of Wales pictured beaming at Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum Tristan Hunt
Kate has made children’s early development a key focus of her work in recent years and will learn about how the renovated museum will inspire young visitors’ creativity
The Princess of Wales seen shaking hands with a representative from the museum as she arrives at the reopening
This new dedicated performance space featuring objects from the V&A’s renowned Theatre and Performance Collection, where children can also enjoy dressing up and performing their own shows.
The Princess of Wales was announced as the V&A’s first ever royal patron in March 2018 – months before she gave birth to Prince Louis.
The royal was deemed perfect for the high-brow role thanks to her interest in the ‘visual arts, photography and design.
Although the London museum carries Queen Victoria’s name, no royal had ever held an official patronage for the institute before.
Kate’s summery dress was cinched in at the waist with a wide belt and featured a button-down detail
Pictured: The Young V&A museum in East London before it closed for three years for an extensive renovation
Pictured: The Young V&A’s Play Gallery, which is specifically aimed at toddlers with lots of sensory displays
The redevelopment is the most significant intervention in the Grade II* listed building’s 150-year history, and has completely transformed the museum
Pictured: children playing in one of the three re-imagined areas, which have undergone a £13m renovation
The Young V&A – which is aimed at children aged 0-14 – also boasts an impressive courtyard for further play
The Princess of Wales first wore this £695 crepe midi dress in blush pink by London-based designer Beulah to Wimbledon in 2021
The royal kept her jewellery minimal for the occasion – opting for her Mappin & Webb diamond earrings paired with Princess Diana’s sapphire engagement ring.
Finishing off her sophisticated look, Kate opted for her signature bouncy blow-dry and smokey brown eyeshadow.
The Princess of Wales has spent years raising awareness about the importance of early childhood and launched her Shaping Us campaign in January.
Kate’s ongoing campaign aims to improve society’s understanding of the significance of early childhood in shaping adulthood and society as a whole.
In recent months, the Princess of Wales has met with families who spent time in the care system to highlight the importance of strong relationships for children who experience trauma early in life.
Earlier this year, Kate outlined the scope of her campaign and described it as a long-term project beginning with how a child develops and the importance of the formative years.
Scientific evidence has shown that early experiences can affect children not only socially and emotionally but in their physical development too.
Reports produced by the Early Childhood centre have revealed that the first five years shape future wellbeing more than any other stage of development, with our brains growing faster than at this time then any other.
It also hopes to ‘break the cycle’ of parents who experienced difficult childhoods themselves.
