The Princess of Wales charmed the children with an honest yet unexpected response
The Princess of Wales meets pupils from Burghead Primary School (Image: PA)
When mingling with the public during outings and engagements, Kate Middleton is often asked about the reality of royal life.
Most people are thrilled to meet the senior royal, but some remain surprised by the excitement she generates.
One such occasion was in 2023 when she and Prince William visited a Scottish primary school.
The Prince and Princess of Wales made a trip to Burghead Primary School in Moray. There, they toured the facilities, engaged with delighted pupils, and Kate even timed a bike race between students.
Meeting with the youngsters, Catherine high-fived a student and remarked: “I really like your school,” before an audacious child asked the future Queen: “Who are you?”.
In a modest and endearing manner, Kate gestured towards her spouse and said: “I’m married to William,” choosing to omit her plethora of royal titles from the school-aged children.
Yet, another pupil further probed Kate’s identity by inquiring: “Are you a Prince?”, reports the Mirror.
(Image: Getty Images)
With a gentle shake of her head for emphasis, Kate clarified: “I’m not a Prince. I’m the Duchess of Cambridge. Lots of people call me Catherine.”
Prompted by a little girl’s declaration: “She’s a Princess!”
Kate responded by asking, “Are you? Are you a Princess?”
After the child negatively responded, Kate replied: “Aww, you look like one in your beautiful pink coat.”
Later on, Prince William found himself engaging with another cheeky child who enquired about his age. When the prince playfully asked the youngsters what age they thought he was, their guess of 57 left him in shock as he protested: “I’m not that old.”
(Image: PA)
The Princess of Wales is no amateur when it comes to amusing cases of mistaken identity encountered during Royal engagements. She reminisced about a particularly funny interaction with a care home resident back in 2020.
In 2020, the Prince and Princess of Wales paid a visit to a Cardiff care facility where they had the chance to meet face-to-face with residents they had previously interacted with via Zoom in the early stages of the pandemic.
While there, the Royal pair chatted with 87-year-old Joan Drew-Smith, who didn’t hesitate to critique their bingo-calling abilities which they had demonstrated in an online session with the home’s occupants.
Prince William humorously reminded Joan: “You may not recognise us, but we played bingo with you and you won. But you said we didn’t do a very good job?” In her spirited fashion, Joan retorted: “No, you did a s*** job,” prompting hearty laughter from William as he replied: “Excellent!”.
Joan then focused her attention on Kate, who, donning a mask, was seated beside William. Puzzled, she inquired: “Is this your assistant?” With a chuckle, Kate responded: “Well, I’m his assistant! I have been for a long time!”.
(Image: PA)
After enjoying Joan’s candid sass, William relayed to the staff how much he “adored Joan” reflecting post-visit: “She’s brilliant.”
Prior to achieving international recognition following her wedding to William in 2011, there was a time when the Princess of Wales could walk unnoticed.
Royal butler Grant Harrold revealed that Kate was left “standing alone” at King Charles’ 60th birthday in 2008, with no one making an effort to interact with her.
Speaking to MyLondon, he said: “I went over and chatted to her while we waited for Will to come in and it was quite sweet. But now – could you imagine Kate in the middle of a room and no one speaking to her? It just wouldn’t happen, she’d be mobbed.”