The Duchess of Cambridge has followed in the illustrious footsteps of Ryan Reynolds, Tom Hardy, Dave Grohl and many other celebrities by recording a bedtime story for CBeebies.
Sitting cross-legged on a rug, Kate narrates the modern children's classic The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark, by Jill Tomlinson, to mark Children's Mental Health Week.
For the broadcast on the BBC's channel for young children, the duchess wears jeans and a comfy jumper, and appears to be sitting in the corner of a green space, with a hot chocolate within reach, two soft toy owls for company and a fire bowl burning away.
"I couldn't be more proud to have the duchess read a 'CBeebies Bedtime Story' as we mark the 20th anniversary of our CBeebies and CBBC channels," said Patricia Hidalgo, director of BBC Children's and Education.
"It's such a special and relevant tale and perfectly represents this years' Children's Mental Health week theme. I can't wait to see her deliver her own take on such a classic story and I'm sure our audience can't either."
The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark, illustrated by Paul Howard, tells the story of Plop, a baby barn owl who is helped by others to grow in confidence and overcome his fears.
Children's Mental Health Week is a national event in the UK that aims to highlight the importance of the issue and Kate, whose reading will be screened on Sunday, picked Ms Tomlinson's book as the story chimes with this year's theme of Growing Together.
Young people and adults are being encouraged to consider how they have grown emotionally, recognising that trying new things can help people move beyond their comfort zones.
The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark, read by the duchess on CBeebies Bedtime Stories, will be screened at 6.50pm GMT on Sunday.
Celebrities who have appeared on 'CBeebies Bedtime Stories' - in pictures
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
