Update News: Please pray for my wife Kate Middleton she needs your prayers to overcome her health challenges says Prince William 🙏 ❤️ please

The Princess of Wales is today revealed as the ‘driving force’ behind a new report calling on businesses to introduce more family-friendly working practices.

Her Royal Foundation Business Taskforce for Early Childhood has unveiled a major new report which argues that investing in early childhood could generate more than £45.5 billion for the national economy each year.

Downing Street, as well as senior ministers in the departments of health and education, have already been briefed about its findings – although palace officials are at pains to point out that it is not a political campaign.

A Kensington Palace spokesman also stressed that the news should not be seen as Kate, 42, returning to work after undergoing major abdominal surgery and revealing she was undergoing ‘preventative chemotherapy’ for cancer.

She has not undertaken public engagements at all this year.

But they confirmed that she has been across every aspect of the report from home, despite her illness.

Her spokesman said: ‘The work of The Prince and Princess’ projects is “always on”…early childhood is a huge priority for The Princess and so she has been kept fully updated throughout the development of the Taskforce’s work and she has seen the report. ‘

A senior royal aide added: ‘The Princess of Wales was the driving force behind the business task force. She has been kept up to date since the inception of the task force and she has read the report and been briefed on it.

‘This is a clear commitment she has made that throughout her life of public service that this will be focus. That will continue when she returns to work. But we have been really clear that she needs the space and the privacy to recover right now. She will return to work when she has had the green light from doctors.’

Christian Guy, executive director of the early childhood centre, added: ‘This is another crucial moment for HRH’s early childhood work…its impact, and the work of her Centre for Early I know, having briefed The Princess on this, that she is enormously grateful to the members of the Taskforce who have made such fantastic progress on this work over the past year.

Downing Street, as well as senior ministers in the departments of health and education, have already been briefed about its findings – although palace officials are at pains to point out that it is not a political campaign.

A Kensington Palace spokesman also stressed that the news should not be seen as Kate, 42, returning to work after undergoing major abdominal surgery and revealing she was undergoing ‘preventative chemotherapy’ for cancer.

She has not undertaken public engagements at all this year.

Catherine, Princess of Wales, attending a Shaping Us event with the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood in November last year. The project is said to be her ‘life’s work’

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle enjoy a romantic meal

But they confirmed that she has been across every aspect of the report from home, despite her illness.

Her spokesman said: ‘The work of The Prince and Princess’ projects is “always on”…early childhood is a huge priority for The Princess and so she has been kept fully updated throughout the development of the Taskforce’s work and she has seen the report. ‘

A senior royal aide added: ‘The Princess of Wales was the driving force behind the business task force. She has been kept up to date since the inception of the task force and she has read the report and been briefed on it.

‘This is a clear commitment she has made that throughout her life of public service that this will be focus. That will continue when she returns to work. But we have been really clear that she needs the space and the privacy to recover right now. She will return to work when she has had the green light from doctors.’

Christian Guy, executive director of the early childhood centre, added: ‘This is another crucial moment for HRH’s early childhood work…its impact, and the work of her Centre for Early I know, having briefed The Princess on this, that she is enormously grateful to the members of the Taskforce who have made such fantastic progress on this work over the past year.

Charity speaks about involvement in Princess of Wa

Her Royal Foundation Business Taskforce for Early Childhood has unveiled a major new report which argues that investing in early childhood could generate more than £45.5 billion for the national economy each year

Her Royal Foundation Business Taskforce for Early Childhood has unveiled a major new report which argues that investing in early childhood could generate more than £45.5 billion for the national economy each year
William and Kate at the launch of the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood’s Shaping Us campaign in January 2023

‘She feels passionately about the transformational impact of getting this right together, both for the current generation and for many more to come. I know that she is keen to encourage all businesses, no matter what their size or purpose, to join us on this journey and is looking forward to seeing momentum grow in the coming months.’

A source close to the Princess said: ‘She is excited about it. Action is so important for her, so having eight of the most important businesses in Britain come forward to make the case to their fellow business leaders is exciting to her. It’s a priority going forward.’

The report is the result of six months of research into how businesses can better prioritise children in the most crucial stage of their lives between birth and five.