Kate Middleton Just Shared the Ultimate Throwback Photo from Her Childhood — Taken by Her Mom
John Phillips/Getty Images Kate Middleton
It's Kate Middleton like you've never seen her before!
In the latest step of her new campaign promoting the importance of the early years of a child's life, the Princess of Wales shared a photo of herself as a youngster on the new Instagram page for The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood — which was taken by her mom, Carole Middleton.
Seen as a baby affectionately grabbing her father Michael Middleton's face, Princess Kate, 41, began the caption of her post with a quote, writing, "Faces are a baby's best toy."
"On Tuesday we launched #ShapingUs to raise awareness of the vital role our early years play in shaping the rest of our lives," the post's caption continued. "This weekend, we'd love for you all to spend time with your friends, families, colleagues and communities talking about your early childhoods and how they've shaped your lives."
Princess Kate also invited others to share photos of themselves between the ages of 0 and 5 to bring attention to her Shaping Us campaign, launched this week to "raise awareness of the life-changing impact we can have when we build a supportive, nurturing world around children and those who care for them."
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This isn't the first time that Kate shared a snap from her personal family albums from her childhood. To celebrate Mother's Day in the U.K. in 2020, Kate shared a photo of herself as a baby with her mother.
Carole, 68, has also shared glimpses into Kate's younger years, including a throwback photo shared to her business Party Piece's Instagram page in 2022. Carole smiles in the center of the black-and-white shot, surrounded by kids sporting party hats and playing with blowers. Upon further inspection, the young girl to the far right is none other than the future royal (and her siblings also appear in the promotional shot).
In 2021, Kate launched the Centre for Early Childhood as part of her and Prince William's larger Royal Foundation to "raise awareness of why the first five years of life are just so important for our future life outcomes, and what we can do as a society to embrace this golden opportunity to create a happier, more mentally healthy, more nurturing society." This week, she kicked off the Shaping Us campaign by giving a landmark speech in London on Monday, followed by the release of a claymation film that highlighted how babies and young children develop in response to their earliest experiences.
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The royal took her mission on the road Tuesday, bringing the campaign to Leeds Kirkgate Market. Kate chatted with vendors about the early years and connected with members of the public who were out shopping. Children's and young people's interests are at the heart of life in Leeds, which is about 200 miles north of London. The city has the ambition to be the best place in the U.K. for children and young people to grow up. Princess Kate also has a personal connection to the city — it's where her father was born!
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Kate also joined several Royal Foundation "champions," including podcast host and author Giovanna Fletcher and Love Island U.K. contestant Zara McDermott, who has authored BBC documentaries on eating disorders and revenge porn, in a video to promote the campaign.
She also appeared in a new video released Thursday, which showed her interacting with 4-year-old and 5-year-old students after watching the claymation film. Topics of conversation with the animated youngsters included teddy bears, ice cream, birthday cakes and swimming.
