Kate Middleton says it’s ‘never been more important to talk about family’ as she thanks public for her childhood study

KATE Middleton says it has "never been more important to talk about family" as she thanked people for taking part in her childhood survey.

In a video post shared by Kensington Palace, the Duchess of Cambridge, 38, spoke about her landmark Five Big Questions on the Under Fives initiative, which she launched earlier this year.

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In January, it was announced Kate was launching a major survey on early childhood, which she hopes will trigger “lasting change for generations to come”.

In the new video clip today, which was filmed at Kensington Palace, The Duchess revealed that 500,000 people filled in the survey, making it the largest ever response to a public survey of its kind.

 The Duchess thanked everyone who had taken part, saying: “Earlier this year we asked you 5 Big Questions about raising our under-fives. 

“We wanted to hear what you think about the importance of the earliest years of our children’s lives. 

“More than half a million of you answered that call, so we’ve taken your input and combined it with even more public research to produce the UK’s biggest ever study on the early years.

“This year has been a hugely challenging time for us all and there hasn’t been a more important time to talk about families. 

“Later on this week we’ll share 5 Big Insights that we’ve discovered and I will take your questions. 

“This is just the beginning and I want to thank you for starting a conversation, because we’re all on this journey together.” 

This year has been a hugely challenging time for us all and there hasn’t been a more important time to talk about families.

Kate Middleton

As part of the survey, the busy mum-of-three embarked on a 24-hour tour of the UK, with visits to nurseries and baby sensory classes, in order to raise awareness for the Five Big Questions on the Under Fives poll.

Her work includes a nationally representative survey conducted before the pandemic and a survey on the impact of COVID-19 on families.

It was commissioned by the Royal Foundation and it is hoped it will “spark the biggest ever conversation on early childhood”.

The Duchess of Cambridge has been quietly working on the theme since getting married eight years ago.

Kate, 38, views it as a lifelong project with which she can make a tangible difference.

She said: “What we experience between the ages of nought and five shapes the developing brain.

“They help us avoid adversity, or certainly build resilience to adversity in later life, and prevent challenges with mental health later down the line. As a mother, it’s given me a different perspective.

“I want to hear the key issues affecting our families and communities so I can focus my work on where it is needed most.”

Kate also spoke on Giovanna Fletcher’s 'Happy mum, Happy Baby' podcast to promote her '5 Big Questions on the Under Fives'. 

On the show, she opened up about how she suffered mum guilt and the demands of being away from her children for work.

Podcast host and current I’m a Celebrity star Giovanna- wife of popstar Tom Fletcher from McFly - spoke to Kate about the struggles of being away from her children when working.

The Duchess replied:  "Yes absolutely – and anyone who doesn’t as a mother is actually lying!

"Yep – all the time, yep – and you know even this morning, coming to the nursery visit here – George and Charlotte were like ‘Mummy how could you possibly not be dropping us off at school this morning?’

"But no it’s a constant challenge – you hear it time and time again from mums, even mums who aren’t necessarily working and aren’t pulled in the directions of having to juggle work life and family life."

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