The Princess of Wales has urged parents to prioritise time outside, saying that “spending quality time outdoors has never been more important.”

Kate, 44, spoke passionately about her long-running commitment to improving the lives of young children, encouraging families to put down their phones and experience the natural world together.

“Nature is such an extraordinary environment for us all and, in this tech-driven, digital age, spending quality time outdoors has never been more important,” the future queen said in a video shared on the couple’s official Instagram account.

Kensington Palace also unveiled a new collection of countryside portraits of Kate, photographed by Josh Shinner.

The princess appeared radiant in her favourite wax jacket, worn over a patterned jumper and pie-frill blouse. Her hair was styled in loose waves.

The film was recorded in Cornwall yesterday with the support of the Prince of Wales. As head of the Duchy of Cornwall, Prince William is understood to be taking a close interest in the project.

The long-planned filming took place as the prince’s estranged brother, Prince Harry, and his wife, Meghan, made a high-profile return to Britain as a couple.

The appearance is likely to be viewed as another example of William and Catherine continuing to focus quietly on their work and the causes that matter to them, despite the attention surrounding the Sussexes.

The new initiative from the future queen will see The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood examine how nature can support the social and emotional development of babies and young children, helping lay the foundations for lifelong wellbeing.

The research will draw on evidence, expertise and practical experience from across the UK and around the world. Academics, early-years practitioners, charities and environmental organisations will work together to explore how nature-rich settings can help children become confident, curious, creative and emotionally healthy.

The project will also assess how existing developmental science can be applied more widely and effectively in nature-based environments.

In the video, Kate sets out her vision for the initiative and explains why this area deserves greater attention.

She says: “New scientific research increasingly shows just how important nature is for our psychological and physiological wellbeing.

“Nature is such an extraordinary environment for us all and, in this tech-driven, digital age, spending quality time outdoors has never been more important.

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“This project is about exploring how nature, creativity and relationships can best support the healthy development of babies and young children.

“We believe that taking a whole-child approach is important, and nature becomes a wonderful place to explore how we can successfully nurture the social and emotional skills that underpin lifelong health and wellbeing.”

She adds: “My hope is that through this practical, nature-based research, we can build supportive environments that help make nature more accessible, benefiting babies, young children and their families across the UK.”

The announcement comes as new polling, commissioned by the Centre, shows that 84 per cent of parents agree that spending time in nature helps their child’s wellbeing and development, while only 33 per cent report their child spends time in nature every day. 

Over 60 per cent want their child to spend more time in nature overall and 56 per cent want more nature-based experiences through childcare and education. 

Both the princess and her husband have spoken previously of their frustration at the way digital technology is taking over the lives of young people at the expense of life-enhancing play and social interaction.

William has revealed that so far they have banned their own three children from having phones although they conceded that their eldest, Prince George, 13, would be given one when he enrolled as a boarder at Eton.

Today’s announcement represents the next step in The Princess’s longstanding work on early childhood and social and emotional development, building on her exploration of the role that relationships, environments and experiences play in children’s development.

This has included her visit to a forest kindergarten in Denmark in 2022, where she saw first-hand how outdoor learning environments can support young children’s development, and, more recently, her visit to Reggio Emilia in Italy.

The new work also builds on themes The Princess has increasingly spoken about publicly, including the importance of nature, creativity, connection and belonging in helping children and communities thrive.

Her Mother Nature film series explored these themes through personal reflections on the power of nature to nurture, restore and inspire, and its ability to help us reconnect with ourselves, with one another and with something larger than ourselves.

It also follows her recent essay, Creating the Conditions for Love to Flourish Through Nature & Creativity, in which she reflected on the importance of creating the conditions in which people, and particularly children, can flourish.

 Drawing on her experiences in Italy, she explored how healthy development is shaped through relationships with people and places, and how nature provides one of the most inspiring environments for children to explore, connect and grow.

The Centre’s Shaping Us Framework and Foundations for Life Guide provide the evidence-based science underpinning this work, highlighting the importance of the social and emotional skills that shape who we are, how we manage our emotions and thoughts, how we communicate and relate to others, and how we explore the world.

Cait, don’t hold back.

Gov. Kathy Hochul pushed back sharply Friday against claims that she could hurt fellow Democrats on next month’s ballot, after congressional candidate Cait Conley appeared on video agreeing with Republican Rep. Mike Lawler that the incumbent governor “has to go.”

Asked about Conley’s remarks at a forum with Lawler in the closely watched race for New York’s 17th Congressional District, Hochul dismissed the controversy. “I really don’t lose a lot of sleep over other people’s debates,” she told reporters.

At an unrelated Manhattan event, Hochul also rejected Lawler’s interpretation of the exchange, saying, “I don’t really care about how Mike Lawler characterizes something.”

The governor added that Conley had since “clarified” what she said on camera.

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Conley’s campaign issued an unusual statement Thursday evening accusing Lawler of “lying in a desperate attempt to save face,” though it offered no additional explanation of the candidate’s comments.

The footage was recorded October 13 at a Veterans of Foreign Wars forum in northeastern Putnam County. In the video, Lawler tells the audience, “We need a new governor. Kathy Hochul has to go.”

Conley follows by saying she is in “absolute agreement” with him, then launches into repeated criticism of New York’s business environment.

Although Hochul sought to brush aside the apparent public rebuke, she did little to directly challenge the broader concern that her political standing could weigh on Democratic candidates farther down the ballot. That issue has followed her since Republicans made major gains during her 2022 reelection campaign against then-Long Island Rep. Lee Zeldin.

Republicans won three New York House seats that year, helping the party capture control of the chamber. Prominent Democrats, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, placed some of the blame on Hochul.

“I want my candidates to win, and that’s all I’m going to say about it, I want my candidates to win,” Hochul said Friday.

New York City’s iconic horse-drawn carriage tours could soon become a thing of the past. A proposed ban would end the 160-year-old tradition by June 2028.

The proposal comes amid renewed concerns about public safety. Earlier this year, a teenager died after falling from a carriage in Central Park, intensifying the long-running argument over whether the popular tourist experience should continue.

Julie Menin, the New York City Council speaker, has confirmed that lawmakers are expected to vote on the bill next week.

New York’s carriage rides are part of a broader shift in the global tourism industry. Attractions once marketed as unforgettable experiences – from elephant rides and captive orca performances to close encounters with big cats – are increasingly being restricted or withdrawn as attitudes evolve around animal welfare, visitor safety and cultural sensitivity.

Here are some of the tourist attractions that are disappearing, or have already disappeared, as travel habits and ethical standards change.

Elephant rides

Photographs of visitors riding elephants decorated in brightly coloured fabrics have long filled social media feeds. However, that familiar image is gradually becoming less common.

Indonesia has prohibited elephant rides nationwide, pointing to animal welfare concerns and the need for more responsible forms of wildlife tourism.

Mason Elephant Park in Bali was among the final sites to offer the experience. It ended elephant rides in January this year after receiving official warnings, according to World Animal Protection.

Wildlife organisations are instead being urged to prioritise activities centred on watching animals, learning about them and supporting conservation.

Although no worldwide prohibition is in place, many leading travel companies have removed elephant rides from their list of tourist experiences.

Orca shows

In Mexico and California, the theatrical orca shows that once drew huge crowds are no longer available in their traditional form.

California’s Orca Welfare and Safety Act outlawed captive orca breeding and banned circus-style performances involving the marine mammals.

Performances may still take place, but they must be designed around education rather than stunts or trained tricks.

Mexico introduced similar rules last year. Dr Claudia Edwards, programmes director at Humane World for Animals Mexico and a supporter of the legislation, said: ‘This vote represents a decisive move toward ending the exploitation of whales, dolphins and other marine mammals for entertainment and marks a major stride forward in animal welfare and conservation efforts in Mexico.’

Tiger petting

The hit series Tiger King brought renewed international attention to the ownership of big cats and the welfare issues surrounding close-contact encounters with them.

Despite the controversy surrounding the programme, it helped reignite discussion in the US and contributed to renewed momentum behind the Big Cat Public Safety Act, signed into law by President Joe Biden in December 2022.

Under the law, members of the public can no longer touch big cats, pose with them for photographs or handle lion and tiger cubs in the United States.

Segway tours

It seems just a few years ago Segway tours were everywhere you looked.

But across the globe, they have been subject to severe restrictions and, in some cases, outright bans.

Barcelona outlawed Segways from the old city and seafront areas due to overcrowding.

In Prague, they are not allowed in pedestrian zones and historical tourist spots due to safety complaints. 

Meanwhile in the UK, they are not allowed on public roads or pavements – affecting city centre tours. 

Slum tourism

Slum tourism is far from banned overall – but many major destinations have faced crackdowns on the practice.

In New York City, ‘Real Bronx Tours’ were discontinued in 2013, after authorities heavily criticised the so-called ‘ghetto’ experience as inaccurate and disrespectful.

As for San Francisco, the city banned tours of Chinatown in 1909 – here, actors were once hired to perform staged scenes of poverty, opium dens and gambling for wealthy tourists.

Climbing Uluru

The Uluṟu climb – a sacred site in Australia for the Aṉangu, the Indigenous traditional owners – closed permanently from October 2019. 

Climbing Uluṟu was not permitted under Tjukurpa (Aṉangu law and culture), yet from the 1930s it was a popular activity.

Nowadays, however, visitors are advised that climbing Uluṟu is a breach of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, and penalties will be issued to those attempting to do so. 

Former chairman of the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa board of management, Sammy Wilson, said: ‘The land has law and culture. We welcome tourists here. Closing the climb is not something to feel upset about but a cause for celebration. Let’s come together; let’s close it together.’

Colonial hunting safaris

If you went on a safari in the late 19th or early 20th century, chances are you would have crossed paths with European colonists and aristocrats partaking in a spot of ‘trophy hunting’.

Big-game hunting on safari has faced serious restrictions and bans over time, though naturally it does still exist in places.

Kenya prohibited recreational trophy hunting nationwide in 1977, while Costa Rica banned the practice in 2012.

Human zoos and ‘native villages’

Human zoos, also called ethnological expositions, were highly problematic displays of inhabitants from foreign countries at exhibits in Europe.

The barbaric colonial practice took place across the continent – for instance at the UK’s 1924 British Empire Exhibition and the World’s Fair in Brussels, Belgium in 1958. 

Fabricated native villages reinforced problematic stereotypes and reduced foreign peoples to spectacles.

Fake villages with traditional homes, livestock and performances from people were greatly dehumanising – and fortunately faded after the Second World War.

Snake charmers

Snake charming was banned in India under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. 

It caused havoc in regions such as Bedia, where locals relied on snake charming to source income.

Nowadays in India, you can still find snake charmers – you just might have to look harder. 

A devoted father who took his children to a park before heading out to buy them drinks and snacks was fatally stabbed in San Juan Capistrano, Orange County.

Valentin Onofre Martinez, 31, was returning to his children from a nearby store when he was stabbed multiple times around 8:10 p.m. Oct. 7 in a neighborhood near Calle Santa Barbara and Los Rios Street.

Paramedics transported Martinez to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Authorities detained several people at the scene, but no arrests have been announced. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the stabbing as a homicide, with its Homicide and Gang Enforcement Team leading the case.

Martinez’s grieving fiancée, Mia, said she sensed something was wrong after hearing sirens in the distance and receiving a phone call. She immediately rushed to the scene.

“When I got here, everything was already completely blocked off with the caution tape. Hundreds of police,” she told ABC 7.

There, Mia learned that her fiancé and the father of her children had died. She then had to tell their children that their father would not be coming home.

“They just keep asking for their dad. When is daddy coming back? And I just have to keep telling them that he’s not coming back,” she said.

Mia said the stabbing was not gang-related and pushed back against suggestions that Martinez had ties to a gang.

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“They’re trying to paint this as something that it’s not, which is gang-related. And if it is then it’s only on one side and it’s not his side,” she said.

She believes Martinez was an innocent victim who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“I need the answers because I’m just not going to be able to move past it and find closure or anything until I have all the answers and for them as well because they’re going to need answers too,” Mia said.

Mia said Martinez was deeply involved in the lives of their three children, who are 3, 5 and 7 years old. She also said he worked at Home Depot.

“A father that was there every day of his kids life. He never missed a day. He took them to school, picked them up, went to work. He worked at Home Depot nights and still got up to take his kids to school,” Mia said.

A GoFundMe campaign has been created to help cover Martinez’s funeral costs, with a fundraising goal of $15,000.

Martinez’s mother described her son as a good person.

“He was a hardworking man, and he took so much care of his family,” she wrote in the fundraiser.