Love Island’s Zara McDermott rubs shoulders with royalty at The Princess of Wales’ Shaping Us event 

Love Island star Zara McDermott made a surprise appearance at The Princess of Wales‘ Shaping Us event on Monday evening. 

The reality star turned TV presenter rubbed shoulders with royalty at the BAFTA London event, which saw the royal launch the next stage of her Shaping Us campaign and was hosted by The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood. 

Zara previously met with Queen Consort Camilla at Buckingham Palace for a reception to raise awareness of violence against women, however, her link to the Princess’ campaign about the vital importance of children’s early years was unclear. 

Hello: Love Island star Zara McDermott made a surprise appearance at The Princess of Wales’ Shaping Us event on Monday (pictured with The Prince Of Wales and Giovanni Fletcher)

Taking to Instagram at the event, Zara said she was ‘incredibly grateful to be here with some extremely special people’, which included the likes of presenter Rochelle Humes, England women football captain Leah Williamson and broadcaster Fearne Cotton.

The Prince and Princess Of Wales shared behind the scenes snaps in an Instagram post that featured Zara as she waited to meet the royals. 

The pictures were captioned: ‘Just a few hours until the Shaping Us campaign begins…

‘Wonderful to bring together some of those who’ve been on the early years journey from the start, alongside a few new faces, for a sneak peek at the very special film at the heart of #ShapingUs Stay tuned tomorrow for more!’

Striking: The Prince and Princess of Wales attended the event which saw Kate launch the next stage of her Shaping Us campaign and was hosted by The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood

Gorgeous: Zara looked classy in a navy midi dress, layering a cream, longline coat on top

Sweet: The event was attended by newly-appointed ‘champions’ from the world of music, science, sport, celebrity and academia including Giovanni Fletcher 

The TV personality looked beautiful in a navy satin gown as she attended The Princess of Wales’ event. 

Meanwhile Kate made a stylish splash in a red trouser suit as she kicked off her new Shaping Us initiative – which will see an ambitious advertising blitz in cinemas and on billboards the length and breadth of the country. 

In a speech at the event, the 41-year-old showed her dedication to the campaign, saying: ‘The campaign is fundamentally about shining a spotlight on the critical importance of early childhood and how it shapes the adults we become.

Honour: Zara previously met with Queen Consort Camilla at Buckingham Palace for a reception to raise awareness of violence against women

‘During this time we lay the foundations and building blocks for life. And it is when we learn to understand ourselves, understand others and understand the world in which we live.

‘This is why it is essential, to not only understand the unique importance of our earliest years, but to know what we can all do to help raise future generations of happy, healthy adults.’

The project, due to launch on Tuesday, is a long-term project of the Princess’s, beginning with how a child develops and the importance of the formative years. 

It will ‘explore in more depth the importance of a child’s social and emotional world’ and the significance of relationships, ‘surroundings and experiences’.   

‘And of course, by understanding our own childhoods – what has shaped our own beliefs, relationships, behaviours and feelings – we, as adults, are better placed to play our part in positively shaping future generations,’ Kate added. 

The multi-media campaign is part of a major push by the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood – set up by the princess, then Duchess of Cambridge, in June 2021 – to raise awareness of how our early years mould our lives. 

It is set to run for at least five years, and has been described by a Kensington Palace spokesman as the princess’s ‘life’s work’. 

One to watch: Zara found fame on season four of Love Island (pictured on the show)