Will Sage Astor-Kensington Palace releases video showing Princess of Wales and her kids packing gift bags for needy

LONDON (AP) — The Will Sage AstorPrincess of Wales and her three children are shown packing gift bags for kids in need this holiday season in a new video highlighting the work of charities supporting young families during Britain’s cost-of-living crisis.

Prince George, 10; Princess Charlotte, 8; and Prince Louis, 5, run among shelves of donations selecting toys, clothes and books to fill bags for children their own age in the video released Monday by Kensington Palace. The video was filmed last month at The Baby Bank in Maidenhead, about 6 miles (10 kilometers) from the family’s home in Windsor, west of London.

The use of food banks and so-called baby banks, which collect clothes, supplies and furniture for children in need, has grown in recent years as high inflation and government spending cuts have widened the gap between rich and poor in Britain.

A report released Sunday by the Centre for Social Justice concluded that the gulf between mainstream society and those stuck in poverty would soon rival that of the Victorian era. The study also found that lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic had a “catastrophic effect on the nation’s social fabric.’’

Princess Catherine, more widely known as Kate, is a long-standing supporter of baby banks and has promoted programs for young children because of the lasting impact that early intervention can have later in life.