Kate shares fun moment with young mother and daughter at garden event

The Duchess of Cambridge could not resist sharing a fun moment with a young mother and her daughter as she launched her latest family-friendly garden.

Kate put her hands on 15-month-old Matilda's head, danced with the youngster and playfully rubbed her hair as she relaxed with families invited to the opening of her Back to Nature play garden, at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Garden Wisley in Surrey.

Celebrity chef Mary Berry, an RHS ambassador, joined the duchess for the event and the pair even travelled on a tractor trailer to a fete-style festival at Wisley that marked the garden's launch.

Kate's new open space – which encourages children to play, explore and engage with nature – has been inspired by previous gardens she co-created with landscape architects Andree Davies and Adam White, with input from the RHS.

In a speech, the duchess told invited families from charities she supports it was an "amazing experience" being given the opportunity by the RHS to help create open spaces at the Chelsea Flower Show and the Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival.

She confessed: "I am not as green fingered as many of you here, but I was passionate about creating a garden that inspired children and adults alike to get back to nature and reap the positive mental and physical health benefits that it can bring."

Kate added: "The experiences we gain during our earliest years influence who we become as people. They influence how we interact in school, in work and in society and, ultimately how we bring up our own children.

"Whether it is planting, exploring, digging, creating, or playing; quality time spent outside provides children with the perfect environment to form those positive relationships with the people in their lives and the world around them."

Speaking about her own experiences of being a mother to three small children: "As a parent, I have learnt just how important it is to foster our children's development, in all areas, not just physical, as soon as they are born. We build the blocks, the foundations, for future success and happiness later in their lives."

Proud mum Sarah Griffiths, 25, described her encounter with Kate as "overwhelming" but "exciting" while her daughter Matilda had taken it in her stride.

Ms Griffiths, from Southend, said the duchess had talked about her son Prince Louis, who at 16 months old is a similar to Matilda:"She was talking about her son going up and smelling flowers."

The 25-year-old said: "The experience was a bit overwhelming, it's still a bit of a daze but really exciting."