The Princess of Wales memorably visited a local baby bank with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis back in 2023, when the children were seen packing up donations for families in need during the heartwarming visit.
That hour-long volunteering session at The Baby Bank in Windsor, just down the road from where they live, clearly left a lasting impression on the young Waleses, because two years later, they chose to once again support the non-profit when they were thinking of charities to donate to.
George, 12, Charlotte, ten, and Louis, seven, personally selected some everyday essential baby items to donate, which a member of their staff then dropped off at the hub.
Baby item donations
“A staff member approached us for a list of items we use on a regular basis, but also ones that we could gift throughout the year,” Lauren Hall, co-CEO of The Baby Bank, told HELLO!. “We then had the items dropped off to us that the royals had gone out and purchased.
“It was off the back of a visit that the Prince of Wales did to a school, where he was gifted ‘money’ as a ‘pay it forward’ for the children to do an act of kindness, and we were thought of as the charity to support.”
“For us, we’re just delighted that we popped up in their minds again,” said Lauren. “Of all the charities they could have supported, it’s really nice to know that we were straight away on their radar. It’s lovely they remembered their visit to us. They were very much engaged on that visit and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. And all donations go a long way, so it’s a huge help to us.”
“Of all the charities they could have supported, it’s really nice to know that we were straight away on their radar,” Lauren Hall, co-CEO of The Baby Bank
While Lauren could not reveal what baby items the Wales children picked to donate, baby essentials usually refer to nappies, wipes, clothing, and food such as formula.
As well as their own personal donation last year, George, Charlotte and Louis also support the charity through their school, Lambrook, which also regularly donates to The Baby Bank as part of the school’s community links programme.
Hands-on help from the children
Lauren said she would wholly welcome another visit from the Wales children. Charity work is something that Prince William and Kate are clearly instilling in their kids. In December, Prince George made his first visit to The Passage, a homeless shelter in central London. William is patron of the homelessness organisation, a role he took on from his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales.
“George, Charlotte and Louis are obviously very keen to be hands-on, and I think that exposure from a young age is rounding them as children,” Lauren Hall, co-CEO of The Baby Bank
“The Prince and Princess are clearly very keen to get the children involved in charity work from a young age,” said Lauren. “They’re setting a good example. George, Charlotte and Louis are obviously very keen to be hands-on, and I think that exposure from a young age is rounding them as children.”
© Andrew Parsons / Kensington PalaKate was the first member of her family to visit The Baby Bank in April 2023, and vowed she would return with her children, which she did later in November of that year. “The Princess’s support is so important to us,” said Lauren. “We find nationwide that baby banks in general get a lot more support after a royal visit or a royal donation, and we do get a lot of people reaching out for support as well.
“That regular awareness has definitely elevated baby banks as a charity nationwide, as well as our own personal one. It’s a huge help to us, being a local charity.”
© GettySanta’s little helpers
During the pre-Christmas 2023 volunteering session, George, Charlotte and Louis acted like Santa’s little helpers as they set to work putting together gift bags for children. The visit was documented by videographer Will Warr, who has worked with the Waleses before.
At the time, Lauren told HELLO!: “They were really excited to help out, which was lovely. Charlotte seemed to quite like organising things and was very keen to do some bags for people of her own age as well as some younger, more baby ones. She was quite keen to do a little clothing pack for a baby.
© Will Warr“And then Louis was obviously very enthusiastic. As soon as he saw the toys, [he] was straight over, picking out all the huge animals which was quite entertaining.”
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