Kate Middleton Back To Work Supporting Children’s Causes As World Awaits Royal Baby

The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, was back at work Wednesday, supporting causes that help struggling children and parents.

Middleton, 37, attended the opening of the Pears Family School, which is part of the Anna Freud National Center for Children and Families, People reported. The school, located in London, helps families struggling with mental health issues find aid from practitioners in fields including mental health, social care, and child development. The opening highlights the organization’s progress in addressing the struggles families face.

The royal mom looked stylish wearing a fitted forest green Emilia Wickstead dress and a pair of Gianvito Rossi heels with a matching Mulberry bag. She was all smiles as she was greeted outside the building.

The Daily Mail reported that Middleton spent more than 30 minutes visiting with supporters and staff from the charity. She reportedly planned on meeting children and their families and to attend a music class.

Middleton, a patron of the Anna Freud center, is reportedly behind an initiative to establish a new structure that supports families and children in need. This program covers education, mental health services, and support for alcoholism and addiction.

Middleton’s office said in a statement that the duchess “is keen to draw attention to the ways in which this charity is making progress in their work to lead a step change in children’s and young people’s mental health care,” People reported.

Peter Fonagy, head of the Anna Freud National Center, told People that Middleton is “extraordinarily serious about finding good solutions to the challenges of families with young children.”

“She’s genuinely interested in how to make children’s lives better — and what parents and professionals can do to positively influence the lives of children,” he said.

#KateMiddleton ditches her coat for a solo royal engagement: https://t.co/0034XV4sO2

— InStyle (@InStyle) May 1, 2019

Middleton reportedly made “early years” intervention a focus of her public work after witnessing the problems many adults face. She has established a task force to investigate the matter, which will report its findings later this year, according to The Daily Mail.

This event was the first time Middleton has been seen in public since Queen Elizabeth honored her with the title of Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order as an eighth-year wedding anniversary gift. The Daily Mail reported that the queen likely honored the duchess because of her social work that has always included a focus on children and raising awareness for mental health issues.

Middleton’s visit comes as the world awaits the birth of Meghan Markle’s first child.