The Duchess of Cambridge has delighted charity staff with an unannounced visit to the Anna Freud Centre for Children and Families in London.
Kate, who is a patron for the AFNCCF, dropped in on Thursday morning for a conference on young people’s mental resilience and wellbeing where she spoke to staff and ambassadors.
The Duchess, who is expecting her third child in April, wrapped up in a charcoal Tory Burch ‘Bettina’ tweed coat, an old favourite that she first wore in New York in 2014.
With its clean lines and structured fabric, the now sold-out $545 (£404) coat was the perfect flattering fit for Kate who was pregnant with Princess Charlotte at the time.
Surprise visit: Kate, who is a patron for the AFNCCF, dropped in on Thursday morning for a conference on young people’s mental resilience and wellbeing
Déja vu: Pregnant Kate first wore the blazer in December 2014 during a visit to New York while she was expecting Charlotte (pictured here at the Cleveland Cavaliers NBA Basketball game)
A Twitter account for the charity wrote today: ‘We are delighted to welcome our Patron HRH the Duchess of Cambridge to the #HeadStartLearning Conference.
‘HRH is a committed champion of children’s mental health and wellbeing and it is fantastic to have her here!’
Kate, a keen champion of young people’s mental health, officially returned to duties this week following the Royal family’s annual Christmas break in Sandringham.
After celebrating her 36th birthday on Tuesday, she kicked off the working year with a visit to the Reach Academy Feltham, a west London school that works with the children’s mental health charity Place2Be to help pupils, teachers and parents.
She wore a £65 blue and green floral print dress by maternity brand Seraphine, which she wore twice during her last pregnancy, for her first royal engagement of 2018.
Popular choice: The now sold-out $545 (£404) coat was the perfect flattering fit for Kate who was pregnant with Princess Charlotte at the time (pictured in 2014, left)
Busy week: Yesterday the Duchess visited the Reach Academy with Place2Be, her first royal engagement of the year after returning from the annual Christmas break in Sandringham
Today’s conference is the first in a series of events presented by the Big Lottery Fund in collaboration with the ANCCF and HeadStart.
HeadStart is a National Lottery funded programme designed to give young people aged 10 to 16 the tools they need to overcome life’s challenges and prevent serious mental-health issues from developing.
Six local authority-led HeadStart partnerships are designing new approaches to providing support when and where it is needed, focusing on developing young people’s emotional resilience from an early age.
The conference aims to bridge research and practice by bringing cutting-edge researchers, commissioners, policy makers and service developers together to discuss key issues in the field.