Prince William shares update on Princess Catherine
The Prince of Wales shared his daughter’s favourite dad joke as he met excited pupils on his first royal visit since his wife’s cancer diagnosis was made public.
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Prince William gave an update on Princess Catherine while visiting excited pupils at a high school in his first royal visit since his wife’s cancer diagnosis was made public last month.
William smiled as he shook hands and laughed with excited pupils at St. Michael’s Church of England High School in the West Midlands on a visit to learn about the award-winning student-led initiatives available to pupils to support their mental health and wellbeing.
The Prince of Wales told a staff member at the school that Catherine would have been keen to attend the event had she not been undergoing preventative chemotherapy.
According to the express, William said: “I am sorry Catherine can’t be here as well. She would have loved to.”
William also revealed Charlotte’s favourite dad joke as he greeted a 12-year-old boy who had penned a heartfelt letter to the royal.
Pupil Freddie Hadley had previously shared a letter inviting William to support his schools #AmIManlyEnough campaign.
Freddie beamed in his immaculate school uniform as he proudly met the royal.
As part of World Mental Health Day last year, the inspiring pupil invited William to their campaign event.
The Prince had responded on X/formerly Twitter and replied: “Good afternoon Freddie, I’m so sorry Catherine and I can’t be with you and the rest of the students at St Michael’s today.
“Tackling mental health challenges and stigmas head on is so important, please keep up this important work. W”.
But on Thursday Freddie’s wish came true, as he got to discuss the work they do with the future king, The Sun reported.
The royal also asked if he could make a ‘dad joke’, apparently Charlotte’s favourite one.
“Knock knock,” William asked.
“Who’s there”, the children replied.
“Interrupting cow,” said William, before chiming in with “moo”.
The dad-of-three said it was the only “clean and broadcastable” joke he had.
And William later joined boys aged 11-14 in a session speaking about male mental health.
After the visit, the royal shared a message on X/Twitter which read: “It all started with a letter …
“Great to see this inspiring mental health project in action.
“Well done to Freddie and friends for the incredible efforts they are making in nurturing their emotional wellbeing.”
The Prince and Princess of Wales work tirelessly to end the stigma surrounding mental health.
They have awarded grants from their Royal Foundation to organisations working in the field, and William himself has previously made it a priority to boost support for 999 heroes.
In the height of the pandemic, the couple were so moved by stories from NHS staff and emergency workers, they created the ‘Our Frontline’ scheme.
They worked with charities Mind, Samaritans, Shout and Hospice UK to give round the clock mental health support to key workers.
Meanwhile, in 2018, William made headlines when he opened up about the struggles he faced after Princess Diana’s death.
He teamed up with the Heads Together campaign, which worked to squash the stigma surrounding mental health, and previously admitted he disapproved on the monarchy’s ‘stiff upper lip’ tradition.
WILLIAM, KATE’S HEARTFELT ANZAC DAY MESSAGE
The Prince and Princess of Wales shared their best wishes to mark Anzac Day.
“On #AnzacDay we remember all Australians and New Zealanders who have served and died in military operations #LestWeForget,” they posted on their Kensington Royal account on the X platform, formerly Twitter, on Thursday.
The royals commemorated Anzac Day, April 25, which marks the anniversary of the start of the First World War Gallipoli landings in which thousands of Anzac Australian and New Zealand Army Corps died alongside British allies in the ill-fated 1915 campaign.
On #AnzacDay we remember all Australians and New Zealanders who have served and died in military operations #LestWeForget 🇦🇺🇳🇿
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) April 24, 2024
Under the British administration, waves of Allied forces launched an amphibious attack on the strategically important Turkish peninsula, which was key to controlling the Dardanelles straits, the crucial shipping route to the Black Sea and Russia.
The flawed campaign led to a stalemate and withdrawal eight months later.
Anzac Day has taken place every year since 1916 and now also pays tribute to all soldiers of those nations involved in military conflict.
Last year Prince William laid a wreath of red poppies and white flowers at Wellington Arch in Hyde Park Corner, London.
WILLIAM’S PLEDGE TO TAKE CARE OF KATE
Prince William has promised royal fans he would look after his wife who is undergoing cancer treatment, as he attended his first royal public engagement since her diagnosis.
The Prince of Wales was warmly received by staff at food charity Surplus to Supper in Surrey, northeast of London, where he helped in the kitchen and stacked prepared meals into delivery vans on Thursday local time.
At the organisation he spoke to volunteer Rachel Candappa who gave him a collection of get well cards for Princess Catherine.
Prince William, who appeared visibly moved, said: “Thank you. You are very kind.”
When Ms Candappa told him to look after Princess Catherine, he replied, “I will.”
Ms Candappa added: “I was at home at 8.30 last night and I thought I have to do something. This is a chance to give a card directly to the Palace officials; I never thought I’d be able to give the cards to William.”
She joked that after shaking the future king’s hand she would “never wash my hand again”.
She also said that while talking to the prince the kitchen, he pointed out the “spaghetti hoops” and when asked how he knew what they were, he replied, “I’ve got children.”
Prince William also assisted chef Mario Colfait who was making spaghetti bolognese, sausage casserole and chili con carne.
The Prince pulled on an apron and said: “It smells good in here Mario” before being asked to cut up some celery where he joked about cutting his fingers off.
“It’s the biggest knife, hope for the best,” the royal joked.
“I don’t want to mess up everyone’s lunch. I hope I haven’t ruined your lunch, but you can blame me.”
Later, Prince William – wearing a fluorescent orange jacket – jumped in the passenger seat of the van he helped load to the West London youth centre declaring, “Yep, we’re in – let’s go.”
The prince later travelled to a youth centre in West London where the charity’s deliveries are sent to help young homeless people, a cause close to his heart.
The heir to the throne smiled and waved to royal fans at his first official public appearance since Princess Catherine revealed in a video message last month that she was undergoing rounds of preventive chemotherapy after cancer was detected in tests after she underwent abdominal surgery in January.
In her message, she described how Prince William was a “great source of comfort and reassurance” and described how “as a family, we now need some time, space and privacy” while she completed her treatment.
The Wales’ had spent the last few weeks at their Norfolk home spending the Easter holiday with their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
They returned to their Windsor home at the weekend ahead of the children’s return to school this week.
Prince William was last seen in public on March 19 promoting his Homelessness initiative and last week he was spotted cheering on his soccer team Aston Villa with his eldest son, Prince George.
His return to work schedule has been reduced to allow for a work-life balance while the princess continues to recover.
The Prince’s focus on food waste and his aim to help protect the environment is a top priority of his Earthshot Prize.
“The Prince of Wales visited Surplus to Supper, a surplus food redistribution charity, to learn about its work bridging the gap between food waste and food poverty across Surrey and West London,” a statement from Kensington Palace said.
“Founded in 2017, Surplus to Supper redistributes over three tonnes of surplus food a day to hundreds of local projects such as foodbanks, charities, schools, and community organisations.
“The charity will hit a significant milestone this month, saving the equivalent of three million meals that would have otherwise gone to landfill.”
No date has been set for Princess Catherine’s return to work although the annual Buckingham Palace garden parties and the Chelsea Flower Show, which she has traditionally attended, take place next month.
Earlier this week, Queen Camilla met with young pioneers from domestic violence charity SafeLives at Buckingham Palace.
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Originally published as Prince William shares update on Princess Catherine
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