Baby Charlotte wore a traditional Welsh dress to welcome the royal couple.
Kate Middleton and Prince William are visiting the country of Wales for the first time with their new titles. They started off by dropping into Anglesey, in the northwest of Wales, and later headed to Swansea on the south coast of the country. Royal fans gushed over the Princess of Wales in particular as she spent time with children during her visit. A two-year-old girl named Charlotte (just like Kate's daughter!) ran towards the Princess and hugged her and presented her with flowers outside St Thomas Church. The adorable toddler, dressed in a traditional Welsh dress, accompanied the royal couple throughout the visit.
Catherine, Princess of Wales, gets a hug from two-year-old Charlotte Bunting dressed in a traditional Welsh outfit as she leaves St Thomas Church, in Swansea, which has been has been redeveloped to provide support to vulnerable people pic.twitter.com/MSwZDoXmgu
— Chootchy Face 🌻🇺🇦🌻🇺🇦🌻🇺🇦 (@chootchyface) September 27, 2022
Internet users couldn't get enough of Kate's interaction with the sweet baby. One royal fan tweeted, "Proud to have them as our Prince and Princess. Beautiful picture. Kids absolutely love Catherine. Love that the little one has her traditional Welsh costume on. Still have mine from when I was a baby them hats were a nightmare though." Another added, "Cute. She's gifted with kids." A third said, "Totally stunning. How sweet Charlotte from Swansea is. That coat too, just amazing. The Princess of Wales oozes class and compassion."
The country has a special place in the royal couple's hearts. According to BBC, the couple lived in Anglesey for three years after getting married. Just before the pair arrived at St. Thomas's Church, 300 supporters sang along as the church bells rang to the tune of "God Save the King."
"It's wonderful that Charles bestowed the title on them," local Sarah East, 65, told PEOPLE. "He was always known as William of Wales as a boy. They're so well-suited to it as they've lived in Anglesey and know all about Wales." Added 80-year-old resident Pauline Bushrod, "It's brilliant they're here. Our future King and Queen. It could not be better that it's them."
Prince William admitted that he's also learning to speak the language. Rev. Steven Bunting, who hosted the couple at St. Thomas's Church in Swansea, told PEOPLE, "He talked about learning Welsh and shared some Welsh phrases he's trying to do." The future king is learning phrases like "paned" (a cup, such as, of tea) and "bara brith" (traditional Welsh tea bread). "He is throwing himself into the new role," Bunting said of Prince William. "The fact that they've come straight here on day one says it all." As for how they felt about Kate, Rachel Bunting, the wife of the reverend and mother of Charlotte, told the outlet, "She was fabulous. The kids all loved her. She doesn't talk down to them and can have a conversation—and they appreciate that."
Prince William admitted he needs to improve his Welsh after meeting crowds in his first public engagement as Prince of Wales https://t.co/rgpjwLBiMS
— Russell Myers (@rjmyers) September 28, 2022
References:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-63035829
https://people.com/royals/prince-william-kate-middleton-interested-in-everybody-wales/
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Geoff Pugh - WPA Pool