People.com Royals Princess on the Farm! Best Photos from Kate Middleton's Whirlwind Trip to Northern Ireland and Scotland From Northern Ireland to Scotland, Kate Middleton is promoting her "5 Big Question on the Under Fives" survey as part of her mission in support of early childhood development. By Conchita Margaret Widjojo Published on February 12, 2020 02:52 PM Share Tweet Pin Email 01 of 13 Chris Jackson/Getty Images Kate Middleton fed a lamb, pet an adorable brown alpaca, met a guinea pig and pet a tortoise alongside groups of children and families that visited the Ark Open Farm in Northern Ireland alongside the royal mom. 02 of 13 Chris Jackson/Getty Images The farm, which is open to visitors, such as groups of schoolchildren and families, is set on 40 acres of countryside and is home to a variety of animals, including alpacas and lambs. 03 of 13 PA Wire/PA Images Kate took a liking to a brown alpaca on the Ark Open Farm. 04 of 13 Kate kept her royal composure when she met a corn snake on the Ark Open Farm in Newtownards, despite admitting she wasn’t keen on meeting the reptile, according to the Belfast Telegraph. 05 of 13 PA Wire/PA Images Princess Kate was given a tour of a farm in Newtownards before she spoke to local parents and grandparents about their experiences of raising young children. 06 of 13 LIAM MCBURNEY/POOL/AFP via Getty The royal wanted to use the visit to spread the news of her key research on childhood development and care. Laid out as a simple survey, it is called “5 Big Questions on the Under Fives,” which was launched earlier this month. 07 of 13 Chris Jackson/Getty The questions in Kate’s survey include topics such as nature vs. nurture, health and happiness. The results will help guide what is done to help vulnerable children and families for generations to come. The 5 Big Questions survey is being conducted by Ipsos MORI on behalf of Kate and William’s Royal Foundation and will run for a month, from January 21 to February 21. 08 of 13 Kate Middleton. The visit to the farm is the latest leg in her mission to get to the four corners of the U.K. Her initiative began in Birmingham and has taken her to Cardiff, London and Woking, Surrey. 09 of 13 Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty Later on in the day, Kate traveled to Aberdeen, Scotland, to continue her mission to help young children. 10 of 13 Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty Kate visited Social Bite café, where she spoke with employees, volunteers and customers who have experienced homelessness so that she could hear about how experiences in the early years of life can have a significant effect on challenges faced later on. 11 of 13 Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty The royal traveled to Scotland to continue promoting her survey. Conducted by Ipsos MORI for Kate and Prince William‘s Royal Foundation, the survey aims to spark a national conversation on the early years that will ultimately help bring about positive, lasting change for generations to come. 12 of 13 Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty Kate has now completed her tour to promote the survey. Following visits in England and Wales last month, she heard from locals in Northern Ireland and Scotland about how experiences in the early years can have a significant impact on later life. The final day of her nationwide tour comes as the number of responses to her survey reached 200,000, making it the biggest ever survey of its kind conducted in the U.K. 13 of 13 Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty “Over the last eight years I’ve had the privilege of meeting people from all walks of life, facing all sorts of challenges. What has struck me most is that so often the challenges people face in later life, whether mental health, homelessness or family breakdown – can so often be traced back to experiences in their earliest years,” Kate said.