Kate Middleton in Leeds: Surprised shoppers, Valentine's Day flowers and the campaign launch

Kate Middleton was keen to speak to vendors and customers about her new Shaping Us campaign, which she launched this week to raise awareness about how the first five years is a crucial stage in a child’s development as it shapes the rest of their life.

She chose the bustling market because it is in the centre of the city famed for its Child Friendly Leeds initiative. Launched in 2012, it aims to ensure that Leeds becomes the best city in the UK for children to grow up in.

During her visit, she said it is “really impressive” that children and young people are “at the heart of the city and community”.

Hundreds of surprised shoppers gathered round the future Queen and a few managed to have a brief chat and get a photograph or a handshake, before she was whisked away by her security team.

Shirley Wainwright, a 75-year-old, from Harrogate, said she managed to make the princess laugh when she told her: “I didn’t know love you were coming, it was a complete surprise.”

And florist Neil Ashcroft said he offered her a Valentine’s Day discount when she was admiring his display.

“I suggested William will be buying her roses and she said ‘I don’t think he will do”, he said.

After visiting the market, Kate paid a visit to the University of Leeds where she sat down with students on the Childhood Studies degree programme and talked about her campaign, as well as the work they are doing on early years learning and development.

“I really want to come and study again,” she told one group of students. “It makes me want to be back at uni. Everyone says it’s never too late.”

The mother-of-three was keen to discuss a wide range of topics with the undergraduate students, from the development of social and emotional skills and impact the Covid pandemic has had on children’s progress to forest schools in Scandinavia and the importance of creative play.

She also praised one school she recently visited for using a “community ethos” to develop pupils’ social and emotional skills, and not just focusing on academics.

“The kiddies were so articulate about expressing their feelings,” she said. “They were so knowledgeable. It’s unusual but it shows that, when you can get it right within a learning environment, you can develop skills for life.”

Before leaving the university, she praised the university students for doing “amazing work”.

“It’s fantastic there’s this interest, and a growing interest in this field. We need more students like you,” she said.

“The more we can do to raise happy, healthy children, the better.”

Sam Cove, a 20-year-old exchange student from Australia, said she enjoyed speaking to the princess but the experience was “very surreal”.

“It was so nice to chat to somebody who obviously cares about the topic,” she added. "You could see when she was talking to us about it that she really genuinely cares.”