Duchess Of Cambridge To Make First Solo Public Engagement Since Birth Of Princess Charlotte

Duchess Of Cambridge Returns From Maternity Leave To Visit Children's Mental Health Centre

The Duchess of Cambridge will visit a leading centre to learn about its work treating children and young people with mental health issues.

Kate's tour of the Anna Freud Centre in central London today will be her first solo public engagement since the birth of her daughter Princess Charlotte in May.

The centre is named after Anna Freud, a pioneer of child psychoanalysis and a daughter of the famous psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, who was instrumental in its creation.

She set up the Hampstead War Nurseries in 1941 in response to the social and emotional upheaval faced by children in wartime, and over the decades it developed into a centre of teaching, research and a major service provider.

During the visit Kate will tour the centre and also visit the charity's planned community campus, where experts in mental health, neuroscience and education will work together with children and families on developing new treatments and approaches.

She will also visit the centre's family school which opened in September last year and provides alternative education for youngsters who are seriously at risk of exclusion and are struggling to achieve.

Kate will watch the youngsters taking part in a range of activities and have the chance to join them in initiatives like the SmartGym programme, which combines technology and sports psychology with the aim of improving mental health and academic performance.

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