Kate urges business to put love above profit in first public speech in two years

The Princess of Wales has delivered her first public speech in nearly two years, using the occasion to urge businesses to prioritise "time and tenderness" over money.

Catherine was speaking in support of her work with the Royal Foundation to promote the importance of early childhood.

She told the crowd of 80 guests in central London: "A loving home ultimately teaches us how to love and how to care, but every environment has the potential to shape our hearts".

"Every one of you interacts with your own environment: a home, a family, a business, a workforce, a community.

"These are the ecosystems that you yourselves help to weave. Imagine a world where each of these environments were built on valuing time and tenderness just as much as productivity and success."

She opened the Future Workforce summit on Tuesday, which was organised to encourage big businesses to invest in early childhood.

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The princess said: "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."

It was the first public speech by Kate since since was diagnosed with cancer in March last year, following abdominal surgery.

In January, the princess announced she was in remission after undergoing a course of preventative chemotherapy.

Since then, the princess has made a gradual return to public duties and has carried out a near-full diary of engagements throughout much of this year.

However the princess was forced to step back from her public work for part of 2024, which she referenced briefly at the event.

While speaking to Christian Guy, executive director of the Royal Foundation's Centre for Early Childhood, the princess thanked him for "holding the fort, particularly over the last couple of years".

She said: "My passion and the work of the Centre for Early Childhood stems from one essential truth: that the love we feel in our earliest years fundamentally shapes who we become and how we thrive as adults.

"Love is the first and most essential bond. But it is also the invisible thread, woven with time, attention and tenderness, through consistent, nurturing relationships, which creates the grounded and meaningful environments around a child.

"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."

Tuesday's event was organised by the foundation's Business Taskforce for Early Childhood, which was founded by Kate in March 2023.

Her appearance was said to show the importance she places on her work on early childhood and the first five years of a child's life.

In 2021 the princess launched The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, which was the culmination of a decade of work.

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