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Princess of Wales praises ‘innovative’ Bobeam Tree Trail at National Portrait Gallery

04/02/2025. London, UK. The Princess of Wales joins a group of four and five-year-old school children at the National Portrait Gallery to launch a new project from The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood aimed at supporting young children in the development of crucial social and emotional skills. The Princess joined the children and their teachers for part of the trail during which they spent time together exploring how faces can express feelings and emotions. She also accompanied them as they drew self-portraits, an exercise to encourage them to think about their own stories. The Princess met Victoria Siddall, the newly appointed Director of the National Portrait Gallery, as well as Chief Executives and expert practitioners from five other galleries from around the UK. Picture by Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace

Following her visit to the National Portrait Gallery to launch the Bobeam Tree Trail, The Princess of Wales has commended the initiative as ‘innovative’ and ‘creative’.

The trail is an interactive initiative designed to foster social and emotional development in young children based on the Shaping Us Framework.

The Princess of Wales at the Bobeam Tree Trail. (Picture by Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace)

The Princess expressed her enthusiasm for the initiative, stating, “It was fantastic to see The Centre for Early Childhood’s Shaping Us Framework, which is based on key science, expressed in such an innovative, creative and fun way at the National Portrait Gallery today.”

She further commended the trail as “a brilliant example of how organisations can embrace the principles of social and emotional development, and the Centre’s framework, to engage children and families in their communities.”

The Princess of Wales Launches an Interactive Trail at the National Portrait Gallery
The Princess of Wales during the trail (Picture by Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace)

Catherine concluded her message by stating that she hopes ‘that many people will be able to enjoy it over the coming weeks’. She thanked ‘the National Portrait Gallery and to the staff and pupils of All Souls CE Primary School for a brilliant day’.

The visit saw Catherine join a group of reception pupils from All Souls CE Primary School in Marylebone, as the group took part in an interactive storytelling trail, which is part of the new Shaping Us Framework.

This special trail, created for young learners, encourages children to explore how faces in portraits can express feelings and emotions. The activity was designed to help children understand emotions through art, making it both educational and engaging.

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