The Duchess of Cambridge gave her first speech on her Caribbean tour, praising the “critical role of teachers at the forefront of shaping society.”
Prince William and Kate enjoyed a lively conversation with schoolchildren during their visit to Shortwood Teachers College in Kingston, Jamaica on Wednesday.
They traveled to the Spanish City Hospital, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, after the Duchess highlighted the country’s work in early childhood development.
Kate told college students, “You, as teachers, are at the forefront of this life-changing work and play a critical role in shaping our society, positively impacting the future of literally thousands of young people over the course of your career.”
She added: “Decades of science and research have shown us that our earliest experience sets the fundamental foundations that shape and bind our future lives.
“It’s when we learn to form relationships, communicate with each other, how to manage our feelings and emotions, and when we learn to develop a sense of identity.”
Her comments came shortly after the royal couple received an official welcome from the Caribbean country’s prime minister, who described how Jamaica intends to fulfill its destiny “as an independent, developed, prosperous country.”
The Duchess of Cambridge gave her first speech (pictured above) on her Caribbean tour, praising the “critical role of teachers at the forefront of shaping society.”
Kate chats with schoolchildren during her visit to Shortwood Teachers College in Kingston, Jamaica on Wednesday.
William and Kate are presented with a gift after a speech highlighting the country’s work on early childhood development.
The couple went on to pay their respects to the teachers in a touching post posted on their official social media page, where Kate wrote: “Shortwood’s foresight in creating this preschool program was a recognition that the early years are fundamental to a child’s journey. through life.
“Decades of science and research have shown us that our earliest experiences lay the foundations that shape and bind our future lives.”
The Duchess continued: “It’s when we learn how to build relationships, how to communicate with each other, how to manage our feelings and emotions. This is when we learn to develop a sense of identity, belonging, and dignity. And it is then that we form our values and understanding of the world in which we live.
“Recognizing the extraordinary impact of early childhood and learning more about how children grow, think and behave, I truly believe we are on the cusp of one of the greatest opportunities for positive change in generations.
In a series of Instagram photos apparently shared by the Duchess of Cambridge, the couple can be seen chatting with young students at school.
While Kate may have been chatting with some of the students in one picture (left), in another she joined the Duke as they said goodbye to the class at school (right).
The latest shot showed the Duchess delivering her first speech during her Caribbean tour at the Teachers College (pictured).
In the message, which was apparently written by the Duchess, she said she felt “optimistic” after seeing “passion, commitment and enthusiasm” in Shortwood.
“And when I see the passion, commitment and enthusiasm shown here at Shortwood, I am optimistic about what we can all achieve together.”
Additional personal contact between William and Kate: The couple’s social media posts have become more relaxed during the onset of Caribbean charm, tweets are written in the first person and no royal titles are mentioned.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge took a more personal tone in their approach to social media during their royal Caribbean tour, removing all official titles from Instagram captions and tweets and writing many of them in the first person.
The change in tone is likely part of the “charm” of the royal couple, who are visiting Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas in an attempt to rally support for the monarchy ahead of the queen’s platinum jubilee celebrations.
Tweets from the tour appear to be self-written by the couple, with tweets from the past few days saying “What an incredible day in Trench Town”, “Good morning! We are looking forward to our first full day in Belize” and “Katherine and I are thrilled to be here in Belize at the start of our first official visit to the Caribbean.”
Tweets from previous royal tours often refer to the couple in the third person, using the titles of His Royal Highness or referring to them as “Duke and Duchess” rather than by their first names.
They are also more formal in tone, which is what you would expect from royal messages.
However, the new tweets use exclamation marks, more emojis and emotional words, which is another sign of the modernization of the monarchy.
The mother-of-three has championed the cause of early development ever since she joined the royal family.
The Cambridges arrived in Jamaica on Tuesday for a widely publicized demonstration calling on the monarchy to pay compensation for slavery, and politicians urged the country to abandon the queen as head of state and become a republic.
Some want Prince William to apologize and it is understandable that he will publicly address the issue of slavery in a keynote speech tonight as they have been accused of profiting from the “blood, tears and sweat” of slaves.
But while questions about the island’s ties to the British Monarchy continue, William and Kate were greeted as friends and traveled to the home of reggae legend Bob Marley, and now the musical genius’s museum, playing drums in the courtyard where Jamaica’s biggest superstar is learned to perform. .
Mass hysteria reigned in the neighborhood as the royal couple were surrounded by crowds chanting “We love you, we love you” as they walked towards the Trench Town Cultural Court and Museum in the Jamaican capital.
Yesterday, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge tried out a two-man bobsleigh under the watchful eye of Jamaican’s latest Cool Runnings team. When William climbed into the training sled during a visit to the old district of Kingston, where Bob Marley lived, Kate did not hesitate to jump in after him.
Chatting with the women and men of the bobsleigh team, they talked about the hit film, Cool Runs, which immortalized the Jamaican team at the 1988 Winter Olympics. The Duke, who is traveling the Caribbean with the Duchess to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, said: “One of our favorites, oh so good.”
The future king also played with one of his sports heroes in a match against local young footballers. Kingston-born England international Raheem Sterling received rapturous applause whenever he touched the ball and shouts for the Duke – and somewhat ironic when he missed the ball.
Meanwhile, welcoming the couple ahead of today’s talks, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said: “There are issues here that, as you know, are unresolved, but your presence provides an opportunity to put these issues in context, to put them front and center, and to they need to be handled in the best way possible (in a way).
“But Jamaica, as you can see, a country that is very proud of its history, very proud of what we have achieved.
“And we are moving forward, and we intend to achieve our development goals in the shortest possible time and realize our true ambitions and destiny of an independent, developed, prosperous country.”
The Independent reported that the Jamaican government had already begun the process of transitioning to a republic and an official had been appointed to oversee the work.
The Prince of Wales witnessed Barbados secede from the British monarchy and become a republic last November, taking the oath of office from its first president, Dame Sandra Mason.
During the reception, William was presented with an official gift – a bottle of Appleton Estate Ruby Rum, a blend of hand-selected rums aged between 35 and 45 years.
Kate wore a chic white Alexander McQueen suit and a Ridley blouse to the meeting, joined by the Prime Minister’s wife, Juliet Holness.
William and Kate visit the Spanish City Hospital at the next stop on their tour and learn first hand how frontline staff have responded to Covid-19 and how the pandemic has impacted the healthcare system in Jamaica.
Prince William speaks animatedly to schoolchildren while visiting Shortwood Teachers College in Kingston, Jamaica on Wednesday.
Kate (above) said: “Decades of science and research have shown us that our earliest experience sets the fundamental foundations that shape and bind our future lives.”
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge leave after attending college and elementary school on the fifth day of their Caribbean tour.