On Tuesday, the Princess of Wales joined a group of young children to launch an interactive trail at the National Portrait Gallery. She hopped onto a mini bus with four and five-year-olds from All Souls CE Primary School in London to explore The Bobeam Tree Trail, an initiative created through her Royal Foundation for Early Childhood.
During the ride, Kate helped keep the children entertained, playing I Spy with them on the bus. One little girl, Grace, was particularly fond of the Princess but didn’t realize who she was.
After the trip, Liz Smith, the director of learning and engagement at the gallery, commented, “She really blended in with the group today. It was a unique situation—she was part of the school party, like one of the mums or helpers on a school trip, which always brings some fun challenges. You could hear the kids shout their goodbyes at the end. It was so sweet.”
The trail was developed using the Shaping Us Framework, which highlights 30 social and emotional skills that are essential for a healthy and happy life at all stages, and which Kate launched on February 1.
Fusing two of her passions, art and early childhood development, Kate participated in activities designed around portraits to help children develop crucial skills. The trail itself is centered around a magical tree with vibrant leaves, which thrives through the power of stories.
Children were invited to help the tree grow by discovering the stories of individuals portrayed in the artwork, analyzing facial expressions, listening to audio recordings, and engaging with props.
Kate accompanied the children as they explored how faces express emotions and encouraged them to reflect on their own feelings and experiences while creating self-portraits to “feed” to the tree, helping it flourish.
The trail, aimed at nursery and reception-aged children, is free to visit and will run until March 16. Additional related activities are available on the NPG website for children to try at home.
The Princess, who has been the patron of the National Portrait Gallery since 2011, also met with the newly appointed Director Victoria Siddall and other gallery leaders and expert practitioners from five UK galleries. In 2025, these institutions, including The Box in Plymouth, The Lowry in Manchester, and others, will collaborate with the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood and the NPG to bring the Shaping Us framework to life using their own collections. Staff will also help design a toolkit to guide other museums across the UK in incorporating the framework for young visitors.
