Catherine unveils Cornwall portrait for early-years nature project
Catherine, Princess of Wales, has released a smiling new portrait taken in Cornwall to open the next stage of her early-childhood work.
The announcement came from her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, the research centre she set up under the Royal Foundation. The portrait is by Josh Shinner and was published alongside a video message, Hello! Magazine reported.
The photograph was taken in Cornwall on Thursday. It pictures the Princess outdoors, dressed down and smiling at the camera. Short and bright. Very easy to share.
The video message, also recorded on Thursday, sets out a new strand of work on nature and the youngest children. The project will explore how nature can support social and emotional development in babies and young children. That wording comes from the announcement itself, and the Centre describes it as next steps rather than a finished programme.
The portrait was made during a joint visit to Cornwall with William, Prince of Wales. The Court Circular, the official daily record of royal engagements, confirmed the couple spent Thursday afternoon at Nansledan in Cornwall, where the portrait was taken.
Kensington Palace, the couple's office, said William and Catherine had travelled to Cornwall to “learn about nature-based learning in the early years”. No other engagements from the day were published.
The new nature project will work with the Duchy of Cornwall as a founding partner. The Duchy, the landed estate attached to the heir to the throne, joins the Centre at the start of the work. No grant figure was given in the material released with the portrait.
Shinner is a familiar choice behind the camera. He photographed the Wales family’s 2023 Christmas card and Prince George’s 12th birthday portrait. He is described as one of William and Catherine’s photographers, noted for relaxed family pictures in a report on his holiday-season tips, People reported.
For fans, this means a straightforward update with a fresh picture attached. A Thursday visit, a new portrait, and a clear theme for the Centre’s next work: time outside and what it can do in the earliest years.
