Duchess Kate in Gucci & Jigsaw For Henry Fawcett Centre Visit

The Duchess of Cambridge visited Henry Fawcett Children’s Centre this morning to learn more about the work being done by local organisations in Lambeth to support young children and their families.

The Duchess arriving.

The Henry Fawcett Children's Centre provides a range of support, information, advice and an array of learning programmes and play opportunities for children under the age of five.

Their schedule includes Chatterbox, a play session focused on developing speech and language skills. Classes and sessions for parents are a central part of their work. Confident Mums offers advice on building healthy relationships. Intro To Solids offers weaning advice and ESOL provides a créche for children whilst parents avail of English classes. Their community based approach aims to offer vital support in all areas of parenting and caring for children.

More from the Mail Online:

'As she arrived at the centre for her low-key visit, Kate was taken into a briefing session with a number of the partners involved in the services. She peppered them with questions about the issue of a stigma in seeking help, to how parents were able to find out about the services on offer. 

She was particularly interested in discussing the issue of 'attachment' between parents and their children and finding ways to stress the importance of it. 'The education around attachment I believe is fascinating,' she said. 'I knew very little about this. Are parents and families aware of the importance around attachment?'

Kate saw how the Lambeth Early Action Partnership (LEAP) are using the Parent and Infant Relationship Service (PAIRS) to support parents, carers and their children.

LEAP aims to transform the lives of babies and children in the four Lambeth wards of Coldharbour, Stockwell, Tulse Hill and Vassall.

Their goal is to make Lambeth the best place it can be for children to grow up. Their programmes cover social and emotional development, diet and nutrition and communication and language. They work closely with caregivers and social workers to tailor services to the needs of the community.

LEAP is funded by A Better Start, a major 10-year funding initiative from the National Lottery Community Fund. The Duchess met service providers involved in delivering 'A Better Start' in Blackpool last week.

The Palace said the visit continue's Kate's focus on early years.

Kate is always very much in her element when working with children.

She clearly loved every moment spent meeting little ones at a play group.

Kate joined parents and toddlers participating in sessions offered by LEAP and PAIRS, called ‘Circle of Security’ and ‘Together Time’, to see different examples of what is available as part of the programme. Circle of Security is one of two universal programmes that is offered to all parents with children of 0 to 4 years. It helps parents and care givers better understand their child’s emotions, as well as supporting their child’s ability to successfully manage their own emotions and enhance the development of their child’s self-esteem.

Together Time supports attachment and bonding between parents and infants. The group provides time and space for parents to enjoy being with their babies or toddlers and includes singing, use of child led play and interaction. The session is designed to support parents’ ability to understand their child’s cues, feel more confident in their parenting and strengthen their relationship with their child.

Kate told other parents Louis is "bombing around" in his walker. More from People:

“Louis just wants to pull himself up all the time,” Kate told fellow parents. “He has got these little walkers and is bombing around in them.”

 A mom named Kriti, who was at the center with her 9-month-old son Kameron, swapped stories with the royal about their little ones. Kriti told reporters, “She took one look at Kameron and said, ‘Oh, he wants to go walkies.’ Apparently her son is cruising, and she said she was running after him all the time.”

During Tuesday’s visit, Kate also met two sets of twins: Kamina and Kashay, 23 months and Noah and Charlie, 17 months. She asked the girls’ mother, Finesse, about her experience of having twins. “I told her, ‘double the trouble’ and she laughed,” the mom shared.

Finesse, 31, who has a 12-year-old daughter and a 2-year-old son in addition to her young twins, said Kate was interested in finding out how the center had helped her. “I told her that I felt very isolated, and how much it had supported me,” she explained. “It enabled me to meet other mums and twins, which has been incredibly helpful. In fact, I feel like I have got triplets given that I have a two-year-old as well. They are really little divas in the making!”

“She was just lovely, really down to earth. I never thought she would come down and sit with us, but she did,” Finesse said. “She just wanted to chat about what it was like to be a mum. She said that we all had our ups and downs as parents, regardless of who we are.”

The video below features plenty of great footage of Kate playing with the tots.

The Duchess looked chic in a mixture of designer and high street pieces.

Kate wore Gucci's 'violet orchid' Pussy Bow Silk Crepe Blouse (with thanks to Middleton Maven). The £790 piece is described as: "Gucci's blouse is designed in a beautiful purple hue that is so fresh for the season - especially if you tend to wear darker colors. Cut from fluid silk-crepe, this style has a loose silhouette and features fabric-covered buttons that run down the back."

Several readers noted the button placement on Kate's is different, it does appear the Duchess wore the piece backwards.

It's available at Net-A-Porter, My Theresa and Nordstrom.

Kate's trousers are by Jigsaw. It appears they are the same pair she wore in Cyprus in December.

Below, the navy £130 High Waisted Sport Luxe Trousers.

The Duchess carried her lilac Aspinal of London Midi Mayfair Bag. The £495 croc bag is described as: "Encapsulating timeless vintage-inspired styling, our Midi Mayfair Bag is hand-crafted from the finest deep shine croc print Italian calf leather. Both versatile and luxurious, the structured boxy design features three inner compartments secured with our enduring shield lock clasp. What's more, sumptuous leather complements any outfit, and makes an exquisite transitional piece from day to night. The flawless finish of the leather's rich, glassy shine and the shimmering grosgrain lining give this accessory a truly elegant feel."

The Duchess debuted a new pair of black suede block heel pumps today. Regalfile and UFO No More suggest they are the Gianvito Rossi Piper 85 pumps.

And completed the look with her Links of London Hope Egg earrings.

Kate first wore the earrings in 2010 for the official engagement portraits.

We'll see the Duchess at The 2019 Portrait Gala at the National Portrait Gallery tonight.