Cuddles from schoolchildren as the Princess of Wales opens Young V&A

As the Princess of Wales opened the newly-revamped Young V&A (previously the V&A Museum of Childhood) in London, the schoolchildren had a warm welcome on their minds as they greeted the Princess with an abundance of cuddles.

Ahead of its opening to the public on 1 July, the Princess took part in a storytelling session where she shared how her children, Princes George, Louis, and Princess Charlotte, love telling her stories.

“They tell me stories all the time. George was brushing his teeth and suddenly his tooth fell out.

“I would love to come and do some more storytelling too; I’ll bring my kids next time. I’ve had a really fun time, thank you, keep up the storytelling.”

The museum houses three new galleries – Play, Imagine, and Design. Each gallery was created with a specific age group in mind ranging from babies to teens. Nearly 2,000 objects from the V&A’s collections are presented in new and playful ways to inspire children’s creativity.

Local schoolchildren, teachers, and parents have played a critical role in the three-year transformation as they’ve contributed ideas for architectural features and displays. Kate spent time with schoolchildren from the local Globe Primary School in each of the galleries. She also met with staff, donors, and supporters who have helped make the museum’s reopening possible.

As the Princess shared stories, schoolchildren, in return, shared their inventions and their own stories. The year three students proudly showed off their creations in the build-it area of the museum – an area encouraging the building of anything one may like using blocks and tubes.

The Princess became the first royal patron of the V&A in 2018. Since then, she’s carried out multiple visits to the museum and its buildings. Her patronage ties in with her interest in design, photography, and visuals. Her most recent visit links her focus on the early years of a child’s life and the experiences in the first five years and how it will shape their adulthood.

The V&A family includes museums in South Kensington, Dundee in Scotland, and the Wedgewood Collection near Stoke-on-Trent. A new location in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, V&A East is set to open in 2025.