A version of this story appeared in the February 3 edition of CNN's Royal News, a weekly dispatch bringing you the inside track on Britain's royal family. Sign up here.
(CNN)There had been rumblings and whispers of something big coming from Kensington Palace. This week we finally found out exactly what's been in the works when Catherine, Princess of Wales unveiled a major new public awareness campaign centered around the importance of early childhood.
Called "Shaping Us," the princess' new initiative is intended to improve our collective understanding of how critical the first five years of life are in shaping the adults we grow up to be. The aim is to move the subject out of the realm of scientific research and recast it as "one of the most strategically important topics of our time."
"The way we develop, through our experiences, relationships, and surroundings during our early childhood, fundamentally shapes our whole lives. It affects everything from our ability to form relationships and thrive at work, to our mental and physical well-being as adults and the way we parent our own children," Kate said as the campaign launched on Tuesday.