Overview
- Delivering her first public speech since cancer treatment, the Princess of Wales opened the Future Workforce Summit hosted by the Royal Foundation’s Business Taskforce for Early Childhood in the City of London.
- More than 80 business leaders heard from speakers including host Mishal Husain, Sir Gareth Southgate, Professor Marc Brackett, Professor Robert Waldinger and psychotherapist Philippa Perry.
- Catherine’s address stressed that love, time and tenderness in the earliest years shape lifelong wellbeing and the uniquely human skills needed for tomorrow’s workforce during rapid technological change.
- The foundation says taskforce-backed initiatives have so far reached about half a million children, with examples spanning IKEA’s baby bank partnerships, LEGO Education resources, Co‑op-funded apprenticeships, Deloitte leadership training, Iceland in‑store family supports and NatWest lending to early years settings.
- Organizers reiterated the 2024 taskforce analysis estimating a potential £45.5 billion national benefit from prioritizing early childhood and urged companies to adopt policies that better support parents and caregivers.