A day after Prince George, Charlotte and Louis returned to Lambrook School for the autumn term their parents undertook their first engagement of the season. The Prince and Princess of Wales made the trip from Adelaide Cottage to London to visit her patronage, the Natural History Museum, and see the newly renovated gardens.
The day started with glorious enough weather and the September sunshine illuminated Kate’s new blonde hair beautifully. However, it wasn’t long before the heavens opened and it seems the future Queen was quick to make a thoughtful gesture to help others.
The royal couple were due to join school children to enjoy some pond dipping in the Nature Discovery Garden but when the rain started, Kate apparently suggested a change of plans.
As per Hello!, Assistant Headteacher at Kender Primary School, Beverley Brown, explained, "We had been waiting for the session to start and the children were very excited. Princess Kate was in amongst us and said 'let them go in' and 'let's take them inside, it's pouring’."
Instead of pond dipping, the children and senior royals went into the Nature Activity Centre. The change of plans didn’t seem to bother the kids, with Beverley going on to describe how it was an "amazing experience" for them to talk to Prince William and Kate "non-stop about mini beasts".
She claimed, "Prince William was laughing as some of the children were using them like jenga blocks. Lots of our families live in quite crowded housing and don't have access to gardens so to experience all of this at the Natural History Museum is very important for the children."
Kate’s thoughtfulness was also captured in pictures taken at the engagement, where she’s seen ushering a school pupil under her umbrella to take shelter in the downpour. This selflessness speaks volumes, in my mind, about her priorities.
The Princess of Wales isn’t someone who will rigidly stick to the royal schedule when it inconveniences other people and she’s flexible enough to suggest a change of plans. As a mum-of-three she’ll be very familiar with coping with kids and bad weather, and children and their comfort clearly come first for her.
Sharing her own umbrella with them also highlighted this, as Kate showed she isn’t overly worried about maintaining dignified distance as a royal. She proved how down-to-earth she is despite her very senior position in the Royal Family.
We’ve seen this before when she’s interacting with members of the public, happily hugging, taking selfies and crouching down to a child’s eye level to speak to them directly. Whilst she’ll stick to formal protocol when the occasion calls for it, the Princess of Wales doesn’t stand on ceremony so much the rest of the time.
Hearing about this reported moment at the Natural History Museum reminded me of the time she and Prince William allegedly opted to forgo their security for a particular visit in India in 2016. The couple went to a contact centre run by the Salaam Baalak Trust which provides vital support for street and working children, as well as those who are living in difficult circumstances.
According to the Daily Mail, Founder-Trustee Sanjoy Roy opened up earlier this year, claiming, "When William and Catherine came to see this project, [representatives] called saying, 'They’re happy to come without security’."
He continued, "I tried to dissuade them, saying, 'No can do - it's too dangerous. Just don't come.' But Will and Kate said, 'No, we really want to.'"
They took a discreet approach, despite the supposed risk, focusing on meeting people and learning more about the centre.
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