Princess Kate beams as she steps out in London to launch exciting new project

The Princess of Wales stepped on a school bus and visited the National Portrait Gallery in London to launch a new project based on her early years work.

Princess Kate was all smiles today in London (Image: Getty)

The Princess of Wales beamed as she stepped out in London to launch a new exciting project related to her early years work.

Princess Kate visited the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) to launch an interactive trail aimed at helping children under five develop their social and emotional skills.

The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood’s new project is based on the new Shaping Us Framework announced earlier this week which outlines 30 social and emotional skills that are crucial to living a healthy, happy life at all ages.

Kate, who has been patron of the NPG since 2011, joined a group of four and five-year-old schoolchildren from All Souls CE Primary School on a school bus from Fitzrovia to Trafalgar Square to participate in The Bobeam Tree Trail for the first time.

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She looked chic in a brown blazer, which she paired with a dark turtleneck top and dark pinstripes wide leg trousers. For jewellery she opted for a pair of gold hoops while her hair was styled in her signature loose wave hairstyle.

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Princess Kate looked chic in a brown blazer and wide leg trousers (Image: Getty)

Princess Kate inside The National Portrait Gallery (Image: Getty)

Princess Kate gets off the school bus in central London (Image: Getty)

The Princess of Wales was said to be very chatty with the pupils (Image: Getty)

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Kate was snapped holding hands with some of the pupils as she stepped off the minibus and walked into the popular arts attraction.

She became buddies with one little girl, Grace, five, during the bus ride from All Souls Church of England Primary School in Fitzrovia, central London, and the pair teamed up throughout the visit.

Alix Ascough, executive headteacher at All Souls, said: “She [Princess Kate] had been asked if she would have a partner, and she was sat next to Grace on the coach and Grace had chatted away to her the whole journey.”

“She knew it was a very special visitor. We told her she was a princess. She just called her Catherine.”

Ms Ascough added that the princess was particularly chatty with the children and even helped out with their jumpers during the “relaxed” journey.

Today’s activity allowed the children to explore how faces can express feelings and emotions.

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Princess Kate joined children in central London for an exciting new project (Image: Russel Myers)

Princess Kate is passionate about her early years work (Image: Getty)

Princess Kate joined pupils and headteachers on the interactive trail (Image: Getty)

The Princess of Wales departs from The National Portrait Gallery (Image: Getty)

The interactive trail’s concept is based on a magical tree grown inside the NPG and filled with colourful leaves.

The children were told how the tree thrives when surrounded by stories and were asked to help by taking part in activities around the Gallery to discover the stories of people through portraits – listening to audio recordings, using props, exploring facial expressions and thinking about their own lives, feelings and thoughts while creating a self-portrait.

At the end of the trail, the children could choose to “feed” their portrait to the tree to help it grow big and strong.

Princess Kate also 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.

The framework draws on the expertise of academics, clinicians, and practitioners in human development from across the globe and was developed to provide a universal and flexible way for people across all sectors to unite around and drive action on the core social and emotional skills that matter most in enabling us to live happy, healthy lives.

The new interactive trail at the National Portrait Gallery will run from Tuesday, February 4, to Sunday, March 16, 2025, and is free to participate in.

Princess Kate styled her hair is loose waves (Image: Getty)

Princess Kate arrives at The National Portrait Gallery holding hands with a pupil (Image: Getty)

All are welcome – from nursery and reception groups to families with young children. There are also related activities on the NPG website that can be done from home.

In 2025, The Box in Plymouth, The Lowry in Manchester, Middlesborough Institute of Modern Art and National Museums Northern Ireland , as well as Museums and Galleries in Sheffield will work with the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood and the National Portrait Gallery to bring the Shaping Us framework to life through their own collections.

It comes as the Princess of Wales marked World Cancer Day on Monday by releasing a new picture of herself taken by Prince Louis. The princess was snapped outdoors by the young royal on a wintry day and shown with her arms out-stretched in the middle of a woodland area.

The image was posted alongside a personal message from Kate which read: “Don’t forget to nurture all that which lies beyond the disease.”