Kate Middleton news: Princess of Wales champions six months’ paternity leave, inspires Deloitte to introduce it

By Victoria Ward

The Princess of Wales has inspired one of Britain’s leading businesses to give new fathers six months of fully-paid paternity leave.

As a direct result of the Princess’s plea to businesses to invest in early childhood, Deloitte changed its policy to give all new fathers the same parental leave offered to new mothers.

The Princess has been urging business leaders to support new parents as part of her mission to transform attitudes towards early childhood.

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The Prince of Wales took two weeks of leave after the birth of George but six weeks for Charlotte, as her birth coincided with the end of a block of pilot training.

When Prince Louis was born in 2018 he took two weeks’ leave, which was punctuated by two official engagements. Since then, the Prince and Princess have sought to prioritise their children, doing the school run and ensuring, as much as possible, that weekends and school holidays are spent as a family.

Prince William said in 2016: “I’m a new father and I take my duties and my responsibilities to my family very seriously and I want to bring my children up as good people.”

New fathers are entitled to a minimum of two weeks’ paid parental leave, compared to up to a year for mothers.

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In September, Deloitte, a member of the Royal Foundation Business Taskforce on Early Childhood, announced that new fathers could have at least six months off work in a drive to increase the number of female partners at the firm.

The Princess has been urging business leaders to support new parents as part of her mission to transform attitudes towards early childhood.

Early childhood has been a “huge priority” for the Princess, with royal sources previously describing how she intends to make raising awareness of the critical importance of the first five years of a child’s life her “life’s work”.

Last year, her business taskforce published a report making the economic case to invest, suggesting that supporting children and their caregivers could lead to £45.5 billion in value added for the national economy each year.

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It has now revealed the projects delivered by its members, including funding for more than 1,300 early years teachers to take Teach First leadership qualifications and more than 130 apprenticeships for midwives, health visitors and nursery nurses.

Lego donated 3,000 “Emotions” building sets to early years providers across the UK, while Ikea launched a product range that raises money for baby banks. Iceland has created “emoji posters” to help young children communicate.

Sir Ron Kalifa, the chairman of The Royal Foundation Business Taskforce for Early Childhood, expressed “deep pride” in its members for showing such strong leadership and rising to the challenge.

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“Their efforts have made a real, tangible difference in the lives of countless families with young children,” he said.

“This is only the beginning of what’s possible. The road ahead is bursting with potential.

“By continuing to work hand-in-hand, we have the chance to reimagine the role of business in society – not just as engines of economic activity, but as champions of childhood, wellbeing and long-term societal health.”

The Royal Foundation said the various initiatives would “support families and create a happier, healthier society”.

Taskforce members have committed to further extending their impact.

NatWest has pledged to extend its target to £250 million after already increasing lending for early years providers to £100 million.

Aviva will shortly release a series of short films created for its 26,000 employees, which aim to help managers and new parents to feel more supported in the workplace and Co-op is developing assets for its six million members designed to improve understanding of how to nurture social and emotional development in children.

Sir Ron added: “Businesses of every shape and size – from high-street shops to global enterprises – hold unique and powerful touchpoints: as employers, as providers of goods and services, and as pillars of the communities they proudly serve. These roles aren’t just business functions – they’re incredible platforms for meaningful action.”

The taskforce, established in March 2023, is made up of Aviva, The Co-operative Group, Deloitte, Iceland Foods, IKEA UK and Ireland, The Lego Group, NatWest Group and Unilever UK.

Last year’s report, produced by Deloitte, found the economy could benefit some £12.2 billion from “equipping people with improved social and emotional skills in early childhood”.

A further £16.1 billion could be added to the economy by “reducing the need to spend public funds on remedial steps for adverse childhood experiences” and £17.2 billion from “supporting parents and caregivers of under-fives”.

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