Catherine, Princess of Wales, Patron of the V&A, officially opens the Young V&A in 2023.

We aren’t likely to see the Prince and Princess of Wales much, if at all, over the next month as they enjoy their annual summer break and spend precious family time with Prince George, Charlotte and Louis. However, the Princess took a brief moment out to launch an exciting new project with the V&A Museum in London.

Kate – who was appointed the V&A’s first Royal Patron in 2018 – has worked with the V&A East Storehouse on a personally curated collection of objects that will go on display. Among the items handpicked by the Princess of Wales is a watercolor of a forest painted by Beatrix Potter.

On it’s own this is pretty adorable and champions the work of an iconic British author and illustrator. However, when you delve a little deeper, it’s even more so because of its reported connection to her children.

Over the years reports have alleged that Prince George’s nursery had Beatrix Potter characters featured throughout. It’s also been suggested that Prince George’s first birthday apparently had a Beatrix Potter theme.

This isn’t the only supposed connection between the Wales kids and Beatrix Potter’s work, though. In 2016, Kate showcased her affection for the children’s author again when she picked out a Tom Kitten figurine for Princess Charlotte when she helped open the East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices charity shop in Norfolk.

“It’s possible this is a special coincidence,” says woman&home’s Royal Editor Emma Shacklock. “However, we know how much the Princess’s children are at the forefront of everything she does. From her initial necklaces to sweet anecdotes, they’re never far from her thoughts at different engagements so choosing something that ties to them is entirely plausible.”

(Image credit: WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Other items in the V&A display chosen by the Princess of Wales nod to her known passions and hobbies, including ballet and photography. Going on display will be a costume from the 1960’s Royal Ballet production of The Sleeping Beauty, designed by Oliver Messel, and a photograph album belonging to Beatrix Potter’s father Rupert Potter.

“Objects can tell a story,” the Princess wrote in the text accompanying this project, called Makers and Creators. “A collection of objects can create a narrative, both about our past and as inspiration for the future.”

She continued, “This display celebrates our past makers and creators and illustrates how much historic objects can influence fashion, design, film, art and creativity today. Individual, unique objects can come together to create a collective whole that helps us to explore our social and cultural experiences, and the role we play in the wider tapestry of life.”

As well as producing this display and acting as the museum’s first Royal Patron, Kate’s personal love for art is well-known. She has a degree in Art History from the University of St Andrews (where she and Prince William met and fell in love).

The Princess had paid a visit to the V&A East Storehouse in June and following this, the V&A Director Dr Tristram Hunt told HELLO!, “The Princess is really passionate about the objects, whether it was the photography collection, or whether it was the two woven silks by William Morris, the Pre-Raphaelite paintings.”