Kate gives her first speech of Caribbean tour praising the ‘crucial role of teachers at the front line in shaping society’ after she and William enjoyed an animated chat with schoolchildren on visit to a college in Kingston
- Prince William, 39, and Kate Middleton, 40, visited Shortwood Teacher Training College on Wednesday
- Duchess of Cambridge shone a spotlight on Jamaica’s work on early years child development
- The mother-of-three told students at the college: ‘You as teachers are at the frontline of this vital work’
- The royal couple went on to visit the Spanish Town Hospital on the next stop of their Jamaica tour
The Duchess of Cambridge has given her first speech of the Caribbean tour praising the ‘crucial role of teachers at the front line in shaping society’.
Prince William and Kate enjoyed an animated chat with schoolchildren during their visit to Shortwood Teacher Training College in Kingston, Jamaica, on Wednesday.
They departed for Spanish Town Hospital, which is celebrating its 70th birthday this year, after the duchess shone a spotlight on the country’s work on the early years development of children.
Kate told college students: ‘You as teachers are at the frontline of this vital work and play a crucial role in shaping our societies by positively impacting the futures of literally thousands of young people over the course of your careers.’
She added: ‘Decades of science and research have shown us that our earliest experiences establish the fundamental foundations that shape and connect our future lives.
‘It is when we learn how to form relationships, connect with one another, how to manage our feelings and emotions and it’s when we learn how to develop a sense of identity.’
Her comments came shortly after the royal couple received an official welcome from the Caribbean nation’s premier, and he described how Jamaica intended to fulfil its destiny ‘as an independent, developed, prosperous country’.
The Duchess of Cambridge has given her first speech (pictured above) of the Caribbean tour praising the ‘crucial role of teachers at the front line in shaping society’
Kate is seen chatting with schoolchildren during her visit to Shortwood Teacher Training College in Kingston, Jamaica, on Wednesday
William and Kate are presented with a gift following the speech, which shone a spotlight on the country’s work on the early years development of children
The couple went on to pay tribute to the teachers in a moving post shared on their official social media page, with Kate writing: ‘The foresight Shortwood had to establish this Early Childhood Education programme was recognition that the early years is fundamental to a child’s journey through life.
‘Decades of science and research have shown us, that our earliest experiences establish the fundamental foundations that shape and connect our future lives.’
The Duchess continued: ‘It is when we learn how to form relationships, how to connect to one another, how to manage our feelings and emotions. It is when we learn to develop a sense of identity, belonging and worthiness. And it is when we shape our values and understanding of the world we live in.
‘By realising the extraordinary impact of early childhood and by learning more about how children grow, think and behave, I truly believe we are on the cusp of one of the biggest opportunities for positive change in generations.
In a series of photographs on Instagram which appeared to have been shared by the Duchess of Cambridge, the couple could be seen chatting with young students at the school
While Kate could be seen chatting with some of the students in one snap (left), in another she joined the Duke as they waved goodbye to a class at the school (right)
A final snap showed the Duchess given her first speech of the Caribbean tour at the teaching college (pictured)
In a post which appeared to have been written by the Duchess, she said she felt ‘optimistic’ after seeing the ‘passion, commitment and enthusiasm’ at Shortwood
‘And when I see the passion, commitment, and enthusiasm on display here at Shortwood, I feel optimistic about what we can all achieve together.’
William and Kate’s extra personal touch: Couple’s social media posts have become more relaxed during Caribbean charm offensive, with tweets written in the first person and no mention of royal titles
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have taken a more personal tone in their approach to social media in their royal tour of the Caribbean, dropping all official titles from Instagram captions and tweets and writing many in first person.
The change in tone is likely part of the ‘charm offensive’ from the royal couple who are visiting Belize, Jamaica and The Bahamas in an attempt to drum up support for the monarchy ahead of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Tweets from the tour appear to be written by the couple themselves, with tweets in the last few days reading: ‘What a incredible day at Trench Town’, ‘Good morning! We’re looking forward to our first full day in Belize’ and ‘Catherine and I are delighted to be here in Belize at the beginning of our first official visit to the Caribbean’.
Tweets from previous royal tours often refer to the couple in third person, using HRH titles or referring to them as the ‘Duke and Duchess’ rather than by their first names.
They are also more formal in tone, something that might be expected from royal communications.
However, the new tweets use exclamation marks, more emojis and emotive words in another sign of a modernisation of the monarchy.
The mother-of-three has championed the cause of early years development since she joined the royal family.
The Cambridges arrived in Jamaica on Tuesday to a much-publicised demonstration urging the monarchy to pay reparations for slavery, and there have been calls from politicians for the country to drop the Queen as head of state and become a republic.
Some want Prince William to apologise and it is understood that he will publicly address the issue of slavery in a keynote speech tonight as they were accused of benefitting from the ‘blood, tears and sweat’ of slaves.
But while the questions of the island’s links to the British monarchy continues, William and Kate were welcomed as friends and travelled to reggae legend Bob Marley’s house and now a museum to the musical genius, playing drums in the courtyard where Jamaica’s biggest superstar learned to perform.
There was mass hysteria in the neighbourhood as the royal couple were mobbed by crowds who chanted: ‘We love you, we love you’ as they walked to Trench Town Culture Yard and Museum in Jamaica’s capital.
Yesterday, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge tried out a bobsleigh made for two under the watchful eye of Jamaica’s latest Cool Runnings team. When William clambered into the training sleigh during a visit to Bob Marley’s old Kingston neighbourhood, Kate did not hesitate and jumped in behind him.
Chatting to women and men from the bobsleigh team they talked about the popular movie Cool Runnings which immortalised the 1988 Jamaican Winter Olympics team. The duke, who is touring the Caribbean with the duchess to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, said: ‘One of our favourites, ah so good.’
The future king also played with one of his sporting heroes in a match with local young footballers. Kingston-born England international Raheem Sterling received a rapturous applause whenever he touched the ball and there were screams for the duke – and a few ironic ones when he fluffed a shot.
Meanwhile, as he welcomed the couple before sitting down for talks today, Jamaica’s premier Andrew Holness said: ‘There are issues here which are, as you would know, unresolved but your presence gives an opportunity for those issues to be placed in context, put front and centre and to be addressed in as best (a way) as we can.
‘But Jamaica is, as you would see, a country that is very proud of our history, very proud of what we have achieved.
‘And we’re moving on and we intend to attain in short order our development goals and fulfil our true ambitions and destiny as an independent, developed, prosperous country.’
The Independent has reported the Jamaica government has already begun the process to transition to a republic, with an official appointed to oversee the work.
The Prince of Wales witnessed Barbados break away from the British monarchy and become a republic last November, attending the swearing in of its first president Dame Sandra Mason.
During the formal welcome, William was presented with an official gift – a bottle of Appleton Estate Ruby rum, a blend of hand-selected rums aged between 35 and 45 years.
Kate wore a chic white Alexander McQueen suit for the meeting and a Ridley blouse and was joined by the prime minister’s wife Juliet Holness.
William and Kate are visiting Spanish Town Hospital on the next stop of their tour, and will hear first-hand how frontline staff have responded to Covid-19 and how the pandemic has impacted the healthcare system in Jamaica.
Prince William is seen having an animated chat with schoolchildren during a visit to Shortwood Teacher’s College in Kingston, Jamaica, on Wednesday
Kate (above) said: ‘Decades of science and research have shown us that our earliest experiences establish the fundamental foundations that shape and connect our future lives’
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge leave after visiting the college and primary school on the fifth day of their tour of the Caribbean
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