Podcast 31 – Kate & First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden attend a joint engagement in Cornwall

Dr. Jill Biden has joined the US President on his trip to the UK for the G7 summit. The pair will meet with the Queen and join her for tea at Windsor castle.  Of particular interest to fans of Kate, was a joint engagement when she and Dr. Jill Biden visited elementary school pupils at the Connor Downs Academy near to the West Cornish town of Hayle. 

Ms. Biden who of course is a teacher herself and has a doctorate of education,  was extremely comfortable during the visit. The duo met children aged four and five in a reception class (Kindergarten)  where both Kate and Ms. Biden got a glimpse of how the school’s youngest pupils are supported through a Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum. Kate and Jill also sat with the children and helped them sorting out materials into natural and manufactured categories, watched as the children wrote sentences exploring climate change,  and saw the children drawing and colouring famous landmarks such as The White House and Kensington Palace. 

Teacher, David Masters said, "Hosting Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge and Dr. Jill Biden in my classroom was one of the greatest moments of my career to date and something I will never forget. "

School pupil, Lissi, age 5 said, “Today in my classroom I met a real princess and she wore a very pretty dress.  I know that Dr. Biden lives in a really big house called The White House and she is a teacher like Mr. Masters”.

The school also has outdoor space where the children plant vegetables and flowers and tend to animals, including two families of rescued rabbits as well as hens.  Children Amelia, Jack, Diana and Barney introduced one of their rescue rabbits Storm to Kate and Dr. Biden and the children demonstrated their animal handling skills and spoke about how they are responsible for feeding, grooming and giving the rescue animals regular health checks. 

The First Lady and Duchess Kate had planned ahead and brought carrots. Jill was pictured carrying the bowl of carrots when she and Kate went outside to visit with a bunny named Storm. The bowl of carrots was handed to a group of kids on the other side of a fence who fed their furry friend. 

Kate had also organized a round table discussions about early years education, where London University Professor Eamon McCrory  presented scientific evidence of the importance of early childhood for lifelong outcomes. Other experts from both the UK and America joined in the discussions via Zoom.

Kate introduced the First Lady saying It was a huge honor to have her in the United Kingdom. Ms. Biden thanked the news media for covering the appearance.

Before leaving the school at the end of their event, the First Lady and Kate were each presented with small bouquets of local flowers, handed to them by two of the school's students. Storm the bunny is now a superstar.

Keep listening in for future podcasts about the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. You can reach out to me by twitter Jeanette Songolo @kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle (@JeanetteSongolo) / Twitter or by email at [email protected]