Princess of Wales urges business leaders to value 'time and tenderness' during landmark speech
The princess spoke to senior business executives at the summit in London
The Princess of Wales has has told business leaders to prioritise "time and tenderness" alongside their success at work during her first public speech in two years.
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During her address, Kate emphaised the need for big companies to invest in supporting children and their families.
Speaking at the landmark summit in the London organised by her Royal Foundation's Centre for Early Childhood, she spoke about the "importance of love."
The 43-year-old also argued that productivity was not "incompatible" with having a positive impact on young lives.
She also teamed up with former England manager Sir Gareth Southgate who spoke about facing pressure during is career, including his infamous penalty miss in the semi-final of Euro 96 against Germany.
She said in her speech to the gathering of senior executives: "A loving home ultimately teaches us how to love and how to care, but every environment has the potential to shape our hearts.
"Every one of you interacts with your own environment, a home, a family, a business, a workforce, a community.
"These are the ecosystems that you yourselves help to weave. Imagine a world where each of these environments were built on valuing time and tenderness just as much as productivity and success.
"As business leaders you will face the daily challenge of finding the balance between profitability and having a positive impact. But the two are not, and should not be incompatible."
The event marked the first time the princess delivered a pubic speech since she was diagnosed with cancer in early 2024 following major abdominal surgery.
The princess has been carrying out a range of public duties including attending Trooping the Colour, as well as supporting her charities, but has yet to undertake a major overseas foreign tour.
She closed her speech by adding: "Every child deserves respect and safety, and everyone who cares deserve recognition and appreciation.
"Every act of care creates community because we are all essentially weavers of that same fabric.
"I believe in restoring the dignity to the quiet, often invisible work of caring, of loving well, as we look to build a happier, healthier society."
She was due to leave the event at Salesforce Tower after a private lunch but decided to stay for the afternoon session when taskforce member chief executives discussed what their firms were doing to promote early years.
A source said: "She feels passionately about the work the Business Taskforce is doing to place early childhood at the heart of the business community.
"She stayed on to hear more about how current taskforce members are inspiring some of the biggest businesses in the UK to make change too."
Sir Southgate also took part in a discussion about his own personal development and his coping mechanisms when under pressure during his career.
Recalling his infamous penalty miss in the semi-final of Euro 96, he said: "How do I ever recover from this?
"This is a public humiliation. I failed to execute a skill under pressure in front of half the world."
He added it "was a process of small steps towards recovering your confidence", and he talked to teammates who had been through similar experiences who provided a support mechanism.