The flight from London to Copenhagen, Denmark—where Kate will spend two days later this month—is only about an hour and a half. But the distance isn’t why the trip, on which Duchess Kate will be flying solo, marks a major step for her. It’s that she’s going at all.
The trip will be a “fact-finding mission” for Kate, according to Express UK, as she wants to learn how the country handles mental and physical health during early childhood development, one of her longest-standing causes and something for which Denmark has been applauded in the past.
The news was revealed in a tweet from the verified Kensington Royal account, in which Kate’s hands make the flag of Denmark out of LEGOS:
It’s accompanied by a message from Kate herself—signed “C” for Catherine, as she usually does—that reads: “Looking forward to learning from experts, parents & practitioners about Denmark’s approach to early childhood later this month. Denmark is a beacon of best practice in its approach to the early years, with a culture which prioriti[z]es the best start in life. På snarligt gensyn. C.” (The last sentence means, “See you soon” in Danish.)
And while all of that sounds exactly up Kate’s alley, there’s a reason this trip is a big deal. Per the publication, not only is this the first time the Duchess’s work with The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood Development—launched in June 2021 to seal Kate’s commitment to the issue—has gone international, but the fact that this will mark a royal tour that Kate is making solo “is evident of the trust the Queen places in the Duchess as one of the most senior members of the Firm and a future queen,” said the publication.
No longer should anyone see her as merely a married-in royal, or the wife of the prince, or mother of the heir to the throne (in case anyone still did)—making international solo trips means Kate is seen as a true member of the royal family in her own right, and an important face of the future of the Firm.
Can you think of anyone better to represent the royal family into the future? We sure can’t.
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