Princess Kate Is Sending "a Thousand Cuddles" to Kids in Wales In an Effort to Spread "Love and Joy"

(Image credit: Getty Images)

If you're not familiar with Welsh, a "cwtch" (pronounced kutch, like butch) is a cuddle or hug, and Princess Kate is sending "a thousand" of them to children this winter. In a new social media post from her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, the Princess of Wales revealed that the centre has partnered with Amazon U.K. and Welsh charity Faith in Families Swansea to deliver cozy care packages to kids across Wales.

A Reel featuring Amazon U.K.'s country manager, John Boumphrey, explained the initiative and the "tremendous" importance of the first five years of life in shaping children's futures. The "Cwtch Kits" feature "warm clothing, a blanket, books and sensory toys which will promote connection and development."

"It's not just the right thing to do, it's a strategic investment in our communities' future resilience," Boumphrey said in the clip. Per the Centre for Early Childhood, the kits will be given out to families at events in Swansea in the near future, with the Instagram post noting, "we hope they bring lots of love and joy."

Princess kate wearing a red coat hugging a little girl — Princess Kate hugs two-year-old Charlotte Bunting during a 2022 visit to Wales.

The "Cwtch Kit" mailing was first announced in November when Princess Kate attended the Future Workforce Summit hosted by the Royal Foundation Business Taskforce for Early Childhood.

The Princess of Wales has made early childhood development one of the key platforms of her royal work, and it's an area that's understood to remain a lifelong focus when she becomes Queen.

"The way we develop, through our experiences, relationships and surroundings during our early childhood, fundamentally shapes our whole lives," Princess Kate said in 2023 during the launch of her "Shaping Us" campaign for early childhood.

The idea of care packages for kids fits in with the royal's priorities she laid out at the start of the Shaping Us campaign. "In these difficult times, it is more important than ever to help support parents and caregivers provide loving, safe and secure homes for their babies and young children to thrive," she shared.

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Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.