Kate Middleton poses for selfie with Leeds barber
It's rare that members of the royal family pose for them
Last updated 31st Jan 2023
The Princess of Wales joined market traders in Leeds, and one lucky bystander managed to bag a selfie with her!
She's in the city to discuss her ambitious campaign aimed at raising the profile of the early years development of children.
Senior members of the royal family rarely pose for selfies, but it's a trend they have started leaning into recently.
Mansuor Mohammed is a barber in Leeds and managed to get one with her in Kirkgate Market. He told us: "I just asked her 'can I take a picture with you?' and she said 'yes of course!'"
"I will hold this photo forever- it will go in my barbers, Tik Tok, website and Facebook as well!
"We didn't talk too much as it was very busy and she didn't have much time for talking.
"I will keep the photo for a long time- forever!"
Kate met members of the public and stall holders to mark the launch of her "life's work" - the Shaping Us project, aimed at highlighting the significance of the formative years of a child's life.
In a video message released to highlight the project, the princess said: "Our early childhood, the time from pregnancy to the age of five, fundamentally shapes the rest of our lives.
"But as a society, we currently spend much more of our time and energy on later life.
"Today, the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood is launching a new campaign, Shaping Us, 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.
"Because by focusing our collective time, energy and resources on these most preventative years, we can make a huge difference to the physical and mental health and happiness of generations to come."
A 90-second claymation film, first screened at a Shaping Us event attended by the Princess and Princess of Wales on Monday night, has also been released, depicting how the development of a young girl from the age of zero to five is shaped by interactions and her environment, and will be shown in cinemas from Friday.
In 2012, the late Queen launched Child Friendly Leeds, an initiative which encourages residents, businesses and institutions to make the city the best place for youngster to grow up in, with the belief that the community will see social and economic benefits.
Leeds City Council, working with partners to deliver enrichment programmes to improve outcomes, has seen a safe reduction in the number of youngsters being taken into care, more teenagers going into education, employment and training, and better school attendance.
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