Catherine's first speech in 2 years urges carer dignity

At an event in the City of London, Catherine called on 80 top business leaders to play their part in ensuring healthy family lives for employees, including those with caring responsibilities.

"I believe in restoring the dignity to the quiet, often invisible work of caring, of loving well, as we look to build a happier, healthier society," the princess told the Future Workforce Summit.

The event was part of Catherine's campaign to raise awareness about the importance of children's early years and building healthy family relationships.

This was Catherine's first speech since November 2023 and also her first since revealing her cancer diagnosis in March 2024.

Since then, she has shared recorded messages on social media, including about her gradual recovery from chemotherapy, but this is her first in-person speech since then.

This marks another step towards her return to public life and also reflects her style, as the event began with a poem read by former Wales Children's Laureate Alex Wharton.

Her confident speech reflected her deeply personal message about the need to place a greater emphasis on kindness and acknowledge that "love is the first and most essential bond."

"The love we feel in our earliest years fundamentally shapes who we become and how we thrive as adults," said the princess.

She spoke to business leaders about the need for families to provide a supportive home for their children, which she called "the weaving of love."

The speech was delivered from a city skyscraper, with London spread out like a model village below.

Catherine called on business leaders to rethink their workplaces and create a different model for their priorities, in which companies "value time and tenderness as much as productivity and success."

The princess, who founded an early childhood center before her illness, called for a more comprehensive way of measuring success.

"As business leaders you will face the daily challenge of finding the balance between profitability and having a positive impact. But the two are not, and should not be incompatible," she said.

Also speaking at the event was Harvard Medical School psychiatrist Robert Waldinger, who said that research has shown that people who had good relationships in childhood are more likely to remain emotionally secure in old age.

Former England football manager Sir Gareth Southgate, addressing the business gathering, said that when trying to motivate players, he found that young people from difficult family backgrounds lacked the same confidence as those who grew up in close family relationships.

He said that coaches analyze players' personalities to understand "how they connect."

He spoke about his experiences responding to pressure situations, noting that he combined "sleep, good nutrition, limiting alcohol intake" and breathing exercises to manage stress.

Sir Gareth also recalled his comeback after the "public humiliation" of missing a penalty in the Euro 96 semi-final, when he said "half the world was watching."

He said this meant "taking small steps gradually to regain one's confidence" and spoke about the importance of people "feeling comfortable in their own skin" in any type of workplace.

The gathering was part of a business taskforce established by the Princess to garner business support for her campaign to recognize the importance of early childhood.

At the event, delegates spoke to the heads of companies supporting the project, including Aviva, NatWest Group, Iceland, Ikea, Lego and Deloitte.