Princess of Wales is elegant in green suit designed by VB on the day her Netflix series launches – as she joins children’s play session

She often flies the flag for British fashion, but today the Princess of Wales made a very special nod to Victoria Beckham, who attended her wedding to Prince William.

Kate’s chartreuse green suit for her visit to Home-Start in Oxford was impeccably timed to coincide with the release of the designer’s Netflix series, which launched on the streaming channel today.

She opted to wear a VB patch pocket jacket, retailing for £850, and matching £490 ‘Alina’ trousers, both in the colour ‘willow’, likely a show of support for Posh Spice, whose documentary follows the former pop star’s manic run-up to her Paris Fashion Week show last September.

The royal, 43, meanwhile chatted to staff and volunteers from the organisation that supports the welfare of families with children under five, and spoke about how everyday moments of love and connection help secure future happiness. 

Kate later joined children making imaginary cakes with Plasticine and flour while discussing the charity’s family support work. 

The visit came after she published an essay outlining her vision for supporting the early years of children, highlighting the importance of creating a firm foundation for their future lives by helping them develop ‘strong social and emotional skills’. 

Crouched down to help the youngsters amid clouds of flour, chatting easily with mothers about her own children at Windsor, the future Queen had come to learn about the charity’s work supporting parents juggling work, finances and creating loving homes for their families. 

She spoke with sisters Mariam Namakula, 30, and Sumayya Nabatanzi, 28, as their five children ran around having fun. Ms Namakula works as a prison nurse while raising her family. 

When one child playfully injected her with a toy syringe, flour marked the jacket of her trouser suit. Undeterred, she asked another youngster: ‘What are you making, are you making a cake – delicious’.

The Princess appeared entirely at ease in the lively environment, joining in the messy play without hesitation. She spent time with each family, showing genuine interest in their experiences and the support they receive from Home-Start.

Ms Namakula said afterwards: ‘She was enjoying herself with the kids and said ‘the messier it is the better the fun’. 

Kate was saying Charlotte enjoys the outdoors and doing activities and making things and how her kids are growing up fast. She said George is 12 years old and would soon be starting secondary school.’ 

One mother told Catherine: ‘This charity is like my village.’

The comment underscored how crucial community support networks are for families, particularly those far from extended family.

The conversation revealed Catherine’s willingness to share personal details about her own family life, discussing how quickly her children are growing and their love of outdoor activities.

It also offered a glimpse into life at Adelaide Cottage, where the Wales family have established a more relaxed routine.

Single mother-of-two Jasmin Ramdeen, 34, was part of a small group who discussed with Catherine how Home-Start Oxford had helped them in their parenting and life generally.

Ms Ramdeen described the holistic support she received from Home-Start, from visits to its centre in Oxford with her children to the one-to-one volunteer assistance provided over the past two years.

She said afterwards: ‘She’s invaluable my volunteer lady Kylie, she’s almost become like family, she’s amazing. In terms of my mental health, talking to me about how I’m feeling – they cover everything. 

‘It’s extremely overwhelming at times to do the mundane tasks but she gives me financial assistance, any debt relief, any problems with my benefits my housing she helps me with, it can be anything. They’ve basically become my village.’

During the visit to the Rose Hill Community Centre, Catherine chatted to Home-Start volunteers who had been watching animated films from her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood. 

She asked: ‘What’s the biggest challenges…your families face?’ before suggesting it might be ‘carving out time’ during busy lives.

Home-Start is a national network of 175 local charities providing free support for families in homes and communities across the UK. Last year it supported 60,000 families.

The charity is part of a group of more than 27 organisations using the animated films, aimed at helping those working with families and carers explain the vital importance of social and emotional development.

In her essay, written in collaboration with Professor Robert Waldinger, director of The Harvard Study of Adult Development, the Princess warned about the ‘epidemic of disconnection’ created by smartphones and other gadgets. She urged society to ‘invest in the relationships you have with each other’.

The piece represents Catherine’s most comprehensive articulation yet of her philosophy on early childhood development, drawing on years of research and engagement with families across the country. 

It builds on her work through the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, which she established to raise awareness of the critical importance of the first five years of life.

Home-Start Oxford provides practical and emotional support to families facing challenges, helping parents create stable, nurturing environments for their children.

The charity works with families across the city, offering home visits, group sessions and specialist support tailored to individual needs.

The Princess’s visit underscored her ongoing commitment to early years development, a cause that has become the cornerstone of her public work.

Her willingness to get flour-dusted alongside the children demonstrated the informal, engaged approach that has characterized her recent engagements since her return to public duties.

Kate has long championed the importance of social and emotional development in early childhood and the profound effect it has on the lives people lead and the type of society built.

Kate’s decision to sport Victoria’s label comes amid an exciting time for the Beckhams, following the release of Victoria’s eponymous show.

While the Prince of Wales is known to be pals with David, Kate and Victoria will have crossed paths several times, as the football legend has brought his wife to accompany him on several state banquets and royal events.

The sports star is long known to have links with the royal family – but after years of what is believed to be a closer friendship, the Beckhams are understood to have fallen out with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, in a ‘spat’ which seemingly dates back to 2018.

The row is believed to have heightened when the Sussexes allegedly accused the Beckhams of leaking stories about them to the press, while royal biographers claimed Meghan ‘didn’t like the footballer’s friendship with Prince William’.

In 2013, the then-actress Meghan gave Victoria’s label a boost when she wore one of her dresses to a gala event at the New York Film Festival.

Victoria also had her own connections to Prince Harry, first meeting him more than 20 years ago in November 1997 when they both visited South Africa.

They held hands – though it was said that schoolboy Harry’s favourite ‘Spice’ was Emma Bunton.

Meanwhile, David and fun-loving Harry had spent a lot of time together, both doing charitable work and socialising.

There have been at least two big nights out in London together — one at the end of 2011 and one at the start of 2012, both at the Arts Club in Chelsea. By all accounts, both were heavy drinking sessions that lasted until around 3am.

David and Victoria also attended the wedding of Prince William and Kate in 2011, when Victoria was pregnant with Harper.

David said the following year: ‘We had to pinch ourselves when we got the invite. I’ve become friends with Prince William and Harry as well. We were brought up to love the Royal Family and, when Princess Di was around, the love for her was incredible.

‘And then you watch the lives of William and Harry, and it’s kind of like The Truman Show, seeing them grow into young men.

‘It makes you proud to be English, watching them grow into the people they are today.’

David was involved in the Queen’s Young Leaders Award in 2016, which Prince Harry attended.

He was also part of the team bidding to host the World Cup in 2018 or 2022 and travelled to Johannesburg with Prince Harry in 2010 to meet with Fifa officials.

It comes after Prince William revealed that none of his children are allowed have mobile phones as he spoke about the importance of sitting down at the table for family meals.

The Prince of Wales said he and his wife Kate had imposed a ‘strict’ ban on the devices for Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, seven. 

William, 43, added that he wants to ‘do what’s best for my children’ in an appearance on actor Eugene Levy’s Apple TV+ travel series The Reluctant Traveler.

When Levy asked if the Waleses and their children eat together, the Prince said, ‘Yes absolutely, yes definitely. So, we sit and chat, it’s really important. None of our children have any phones, which we’re very strict about.’

It comes amid the growing Smartphone Free Childhood movement in which parents commit to only give their child a smartphone aged 14, with no social media until 16.

Among those leading calls to ban smartphones in schools in recent months have been Esther Ghey, the mother of murdered transgender teenager Brianna Ghey.

Jack Thorne, creator of Netflix hit Adolescence, has also backed the campaign amid calls for better legislation to help parents navigate dangers of the online world.

In February, Barnet Council in London became the UK’s first to ban smartphones from all its schools, in a rule affecting more than 60,000 pupils since this month.

While Barnet was the first local authority to include secondary schools in a phone ban, other councils across England including Ealing, St Albans, Cambridgeshire, Petersfield and Hampshire have also prohibited phone use in primary schools.

Meanwhile, a Dutch social movement called The Offline Club is burgeoning, which organises UK community events where attendees lock their phones away.

Joe Ryrie, co-founder and director of Smartphone Free Childhood, told the Daily Mail, ‘We don’t know if William and Kate have signed the Smartphone Free Childhood Parent Pact, but they’re clearly on board with the idea that childhood is too short to scroll away on a smartphone.

‘Managing phones and social media is one of the toughest challenges facing parents today – whether you’re a future king or a knackered parent at the school gates.

‘But more and more families are realising that kids are happier and healthier without a smartphone before 14. And as more parents choose to delay together, it’s becoming easier for everyone – royal or otherwise.’

The Online Safety Act came into effect this year, providing a new set of laws that protect children and adults online.

The Act has given providers new duties to implement systems and processes to reduce the risk that their services are used for illegal activity, and to take down illegal content when it does appear.

Specific protections have been designed for children. Platforms are required to prevent children from accessing harmful and age-inappropriate content, and provide parents and children with clear and accessible ways to report problems online when they do arise.

During William’s interview with Levy, he spoke about how the children take part in a range of activities without the distraction of mobile phones.

The Prince said, ‘So, Louis loves the trampoline, so he’s obsessed with trampolining and actually Charlotte does a lot as well.

‘As far as I can tell they just end up jumping up and down on the trampoline, beating each other up, most of the time. Apparently, there is an art to it.

‘Charlotte does her netball as well and her ballet and so keeping them busy with sports and being outdoors is really important.’

Kate advocates children spending time in the natural world and helped create the family-friendly Back To Nature play garden that was exhibited at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2019.

And William spoke last month about making sure his children grow up learning to play an instrument as he believes music is ‘crucial’, with Charlotte reportedly following in her mother’s footsteps and learning the piano, George is thought to play the guitar and Louis has drum lessons.

The Prince told Levy, ‘They’re trying to learn musical instruments. I’m not sure how successful we’re being with that. George loves his football and his hockey…’

George also appears to have a love of history, with his father saying the young Prince is the person to ask about facts when Levy joked the Windsors would not have to go on the family history show Who Do You Think You Are?

William tells the actor, during the episode called Living The Royal Life In The UK, ‘I think I probably need some history lessons, Eugene. So, I could do with that.

‘Actually, George my son is way better in history than I am and I have to check with him now on my dates.’

William also spoke about how he was trying to avoid the ‘mistakes’ his parents made.

The Prince said his childhood ‘feeling of safety, security, love’ was cut short when his mother Princess Diana and father King Charles III separated when he was a young boy.

He told Levy, ‘Getting the balance of work and family life right is really important.

‘Because for me, the most important thing in my life is family, and everything is about the future and about if you don’t start the children off now with a happy, healthy, stable home, I feel you’re setting them up for a bit of a hard time and a fall.’

When Levy, star of the series Schitt’s Creek, suggested to William a ‘normal homelife’ started with his mother, the prince replied, ‘Yes definitely, I think it’s really important that that atmosphere is created at home.

‘You have to have that warmth, that feeling of safety, security, love. That all has to be there, and that was certainly part of my childhood.

‘My parents got divorced at eight, so that lasted a short period of time.

‘But, you take that and you learn from it and you try and make sure you don’t do the same mistakes as your parents.

‘I think we all try and do that and I just want to do what’s best for my children, but I know that the drama and the stress when you’re small really affects you when you’re older.’