Kate Middleton and Prince William visit South Wales lifeboat

The Duchess of Cambridge donned a hard hat and safety goggles as she joined Prince William at Port Talbot Steelworks today. 

Always ready to get stuck in, Kate, 38, ditched her £349 Hobbs coat and wore a blue and yellow overall coat over her Zara dress as she toured the Tata Steel plant. 

Kate and William, 37, took part in a discussion with Tata executives and union representatives before spending time with employees in the plant’s Hot Strip Mill and training academy.

The couple looked deeply interested as they toured the control centre and learnt more about the inner-workings of the plant from works manager Carl Banfield. Tata Steel made headlines in November last year when it announced it would cut up to 1,000 UK-based jobs as part of a 3,000-strong reduction across Europe.

It was the penultimate stop on a busy afternoon of engagements for the couple, which saw them visit RNLI Mumbles Lifeboat Station, near Swansea, and meet well-wishers on a walkabout by the seafront.  They also visited an ice cream parlour, where they met local families and Kate was surprised by two of her prep school teachers. 

The day ended with a visit to Bulldogs boxing club in Port Talbot, which helps children who have overcome adverse experiences and mental health issues. 

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Kate Middleton made such an impression on a little six-year-old at a boxing club in South Wales that the girl insisted on showing her around.

Little Brooke briefly took the place of the chosen chaperone — one of the coaches at the community club — to the delight of the royal mom.

Kate and Brooke first met at a team-building game called Gutterball where participants have to coordinate and work together to get a ball to move along a line of gutters and into a box.

But when that was over and Kate, and husband Prince William, moved on to the next part of their visit, Brooke dragged her willing charge off elsewhere. ‘She decided she wanted to be Their Royal Highnesses’ guide. 

‘She took the duchess to see where she does coloring and pointed out the outside space we have. She did a great job at it,’ Samantha Fox, project manager at Bulldogs Boxing and Community Activities in Port Talbot, explains.

The community boxing group helps kids gain confidence and fitness through sport and also provides games and support for ‘looked-after children’ and those who have been referred to them by family doctors to help tackle issues like children’s anxiety.

As she spoke with some of the youngsters (after bumping fists with their gloved hands), Kate would periodically put her hand on their shoulder or stroke their upper arm sympathetically, while both of the royal couple asked questions of the children and their backgrounds. 

‘She engaged so well with them,’ Fox adds. ‘One of our young people hadn’t been out of the family home for three years before coming here and taking part. There are a lot of people with anxiety but they made them feel relaxed and so at ease.’

She adds that the royal couple were helping break down barriers in talking about mental health, especially in deprived and challenged areas like industrial South Wales. 

‘They are amazing. People need to speak out more about it. There is a taboo still and people still find it hard to talk about or understand. It’s fantastic that they are bringing awareness to it. 

‘They are coming into communities like this and meeting people — some of whom have real issues like anxiety or young people who may self harm. They are here today doing the exercises and joining in with the young people on their level.’

Soon after arriving on the fourth stop of their day in Wakes, Prince William talked to a youngster about channeling his anger in the right way. 

‘I have got anger issues and this has helped me with losing my anger,’ Logan Golding, 14, said. ‘When I am in a situation and I want to fight, this has helped me not to be aggressive at those times,’ Logan explained afterwards.

Logan — from Pontardulais, ten miles away — has suffered a series of tragedies as he lost his father Darren last year and grandfather and personal trainer in recent years. ‘It’s important to train it off,’ William said of the boy’s difficulties. ‘We all have to learn the tricks of how to deal with [anger].’

Coach Simon Warren says, ‘He was interested in how the boys got into the sport and what it’s done for them. Some were saying it has helped channel their aggression. Some of them come from challenging backgrounds and this has also helped them improve at school.’

William kept looking over his shoulder, hankering after getting into the ring to have a go. And the couple had a laugh with each other as they talked to the group of boys. 

‘He was asking about the skill sets needed to take part,’ Warren adds. ‘And she said “I think he’s secretly keen on doing it”.’

On the way out, the couple were given mini boxing gloves for their three children, Prince a George, 6, Princess Charlotte, 4, and Prince Louis, who is two in April. 

‘Thank you so much. Love these, brilliant. George is already eyeing up the punchbag . . . start them young,’ a delighted William said.

And their parents got a set of gloves too — and some pads used for sparring — for when William ever gets his wish to get in the ring. 

Earlier in the day, Kevin Allford and Denise Evans-Allford, who taught Kate, Pippa and James Middleton at St Andrew’s prep school in Pangbourne, Berkshire, travelled from their home in Carmathenshire in the hope of seeing their former pupil on her visit to Mumbles.

The duchess exclaimed ‘it’s such a small world’ after seeing her old teachers outside the ice cream parlour. 

Mr Allford, who remembers the Duchess of Cambridge as part of a ‘wonderful class of girls’, said: It was wonderful she gave us so much time. She said it’s such a small world, and she hadn’t expected to see her ex-teachers in Swansea.

‘We saw her last when she and Pippa came back to school to visit James, she was 14. We haven’t seen her since then. Obviously we’ve been following her career. She was in a wonderful class of girls and they got on so well together.’

Mr Alford said he enjoyed teaching Kate and the other pupils in her class so much that he asked to do so for an extra year. Both teachers said how much Kate had liked her time at the prep school. 

‘She loved it so much,’ said Mrs Evans-Alford, who taught PE. ‘We had such a fantastic time there. She was in my netball team and rounders team. She was wonderful. She hasn’t changed a bit at all, you can tell. Pippa and James were wonderful too.’

The Duchess, who went on to study at Downe House and Marlborough College. appeared equally thrilled by the reunion and smiled broadly as she spoke to the teachers. 

She told the couple: ‘I want to instil in my children the life I had at St Andrew’s.’ 

Continuing a recent high street style streak, the Duchess of Cambridge wore a £349 navy coat by Hobbs over a vibrant red dress from Zara for the outing.

She unusually bold accessories for today’s outing, plumping for a scarlet clutch bag and a £90 red and pink scarf from favourite label Beulah London. She finished the outfit with her trusty Stuart Weitzman boots and a pair of earrings from Asprey. 

Meanwhile Prince William opted for a smart casual look, pairing navy chinos with blazer in the same colour. Underneath he wore a pale blue shirt and a bottle green jumper. 

Well-wishers braved the chilly seaside temperatures to welcome the couple to Mumbles, which overlooks Swansea Bay. 

On their arrival, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge beamed and waved to the gathered crowds as they made their way towards the RNLI’s Mumbles Lifeboat Station.

At one point, in a rare show of public affection, Kate placed a hand on her husband’s arm as they strolled along the boardwalk. The subtle gesture was later returned by William, who gently guided his wife along. 

Inside the station the Duke of Cambridge urged members of a lifeboat crew to speak about their mental health, telling them: ‘Everyone has a chink in their armour.’ 

William raised the issue after they were welcomed to the Lifeboat Station by Lord Lieutenant Byron Lewis, Commander Tim Conway, Operations Manager and Gerry Coad, Chairman of the Mumbles Lifeboat Management Group. 

As they stood on board the all-weather Tamar class lifeboat, William was keen to hear about the range of incidents the crew are called out to and whether they had other jobs.

‘Are you all full-time?’ he asked. ‘It’s a great thing to do. It’s rewarding, it’s challenging, it ticks lots of boxes.’ 

Laughing with one of the crew over how it impacts family life, he held an imaginary phone to his ear, pretending to take a call saying, ‘I’ve got to go’ I bet your other half isn’t pleased.’

William, a former RAF search and Rescue and air ambulance pilot, was keen to hear how the crew works with the coastguard to find people.

‘It can be a lovely, beautiful day, but in the water it can be very different,’ he said. ‘When you are looking for a head above water and the heat goes, you are using your eyes.’

The Duke then presented a long-service award to crew member James Bolter, who has been a member of the volunteer crew for over 20 years.

After signing the visitors’ book, they chatted to supporters of the charity about their fundraising activities.

Barbara Richards from the Mumbles Ladies Lifeboat Guild told William: ‘A lot of people think we are funded by the government.’

‘Yes it was the same with the air ambulance as well,’ he replied, then joked: ‘Have you thought about doing a parachute jump?’ To laughter, he added: ‘I will sponsor you a lot for that. As a pilot, I find it very hard jumping out of a very good aircraft. 

‘Barbara and I are going parachuting together!,’ he told the Duchess. 

The royal couple also met Paul O’Dwyer who was with his wife Ceri and sons James, nine, and Finley, one, in their boat at nearby Oxwich last July when they had to be rescued due to engine trouble.

Spotting his Royal Engineers regimental tie, William joked: ‘That tie has got to say something. Stick to the land, Paul!’ 

Paul, 41, from Port Talbot, said: These guys [the RNLI] are super busy. We take it for granted sometimes in this country. There is so much help there at the drop of a hat. It’s amazing.’

Mumbles RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager Tim Conway said: ‘It was an absolute privilege to welcome The Duke and Duchess to The Mumbles RNLI Lifeboat Station. We were able to show them the roles of all our volunteers who all make a valuable contribution to saving lives at sea.

‘I’m sure a highlight of the visit for them was seeing our all-weather lifeboat launch down the slipway. It has been a fantastic morning and something which will stay with us all for a very long time.’

The couple then watched as the lifeboat was launched on a training exercise before walking back down the windswept pier to meet some of the hundreds of wellwishers who had gathered to see them. 

The couple wrapped up before heading back out into the chilly winter air, with Kate pulling on a pair of black gloves and William buttoning up his navy jacket. 

Kate made a beeline for 90-year-old Harvey Bentley, from Swansea, who was in a wheelchair pushed by his son-in-law Mike Sutton-Smith.

Crouching down to chat to him, she said: ‘I hope you’re keeping warm enough. You’ve wrapped up well? It’s that chilly wind. Thank you for coming to say hello to us. Very nice to meet you. I’ll get William to come and say hello.’

True to her word, the Duke then came over for a chat.

‘They are the nicest people you could meet,’ said Harvey, a retired motor mechanic. ‘William told Harvey he didn’t look a day over 60!’ said Mike.

‘This is the most exciting day Harvey has had in many years. We are so impressed with them, they are incredible.’

Six classes of children from Oystermouth Primary School had also come to the pier to welcome the royal visitors and were in fine voice. 

Deputy head Simon Lloyd-Jones said: ‘It was one of those experiences they are never going to get again. William was asking if there were any other Aston Villa fans.

‘Kate was asking how old they all were and said her daughter would love the daffodil bookmarks the children had made and given her.’

Both William and Kate seemed very taken by Darcie Edworthy, three, who was holding her cuddly toy dog Sprinkles.

Mum Amy said: ‘Kate said she liked Sprinkles. They wanted to know what his name was. William said ‘your nose is very pink and cold like mine’.’

Darcie, from Loughor, Swansea, was also with her grandmother Sarah Robinson and great aunt Kathryn Church.

Sarah added: ‘They were beautiful, a beautiful young couple, they were very keen to talk to everyone.’

The Duke and Duchess also stopped to coo over eight-month-old Cari Purdie, whose mum Nicola gave William a homemade gift for Louis’We gave William a knitted hat like Cari’s for Louis,’ she said. ‘Her Scottish grandmother knits them from Alpaca wool. Kate also stopped to pet their Labradoodle George. ‘She said it was great to be here and see everyone.’ 

After departing Mumbles pier, William and Kate were greeted by crowds cheering and waving Welsh flags as they arrived at Joe’s Ice Cream Parlour on the nearby sea front for a meeting with local parents and their children.

But the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge couldn’t resist Joe’s specialty vanilla despite the winter chill outside where enthusiastic crowds flying the Welsh flag waited to greet them.

William, who went for a vanilla cone with chocolate sprinkles, met owners Dominic and Adrian Hughes and revealed has a sweet tooth.

‘I am a chocolate man,’ he said as he walked in. I bet it’s packed in here in the summer. So what’s so special about Joe’s ice-cream? Magic ingredients.’

Kate had a vanilla ice cream in a cup with a wafer, the same served to five nursery children she and William met in the shop.

She pointed to her ice cream and said ‘snap’ to the children before confessing that she did not think she would be able to finish all of her larger portion.

Asked if his children liked ice-cream, William said, ‘They do, some more than others.’

Joe’s was founded by Joe Cascarini in 1898 when he emigrated to Wales from Italy and it is still a family business five generations later. Joe’s signature scoop is a Vanilla Gelato.

The Duke and Duchess of a Cambridge were at Joe’s to discuss Kate’s ‘5 Big Questions on the Under Fives landmark survey.

The parents of the children, from Oystermouth Primary School, said they had all completed the duchess’s survey on the early years. 

Kate launched the survey last week during visits to MiniBrum at ThinkTank, Birmingham Science Museum; Ely and Careau Children’s Centre in Cardiff and HMP Send near Woking.    

William and Kate will end their day by visiting the Bulldogs Development Centre in Port Talbot which, through fitness and boxing, gives young people in the area who may have mental health issues a sense of belonging.

Prince William and Kate Middleton have ‘relaxed their ‘hands-off’ policy in public’ since ‘hugely tactile Harry and Meghan’s move to Canada’, body language expert claims

By Jessica Green for MailOnline 

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s body language while out meeting crowds in South Wales today signalled a move towards more public displays of affection, a body language expert has revealed.

Prince William, 37, and Kate, 38, seemed to have relaxed their ‘hands-off’ policy in public, according to Judi James.

Speaking to FEMAIL, the British author suggested that the small arm and back touches shared between the couple during their visit to Mumbles today is to combat the loss of the ‘hugely tactile’ Prince Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, since their move to Canada. 

She added that the ‘constant touch’ could be keeping the communication alive non-verbally when the royal parents are out in public.  

WILLIAM AND KATE ABANDON HANDS-OFF APPROACH 

Prince William and Kate looked every inch the loved-up couple when in Wales today, sharing many gentle touches. The public displays of affection appeared as a contrast to what has in the past been seen as ‘hands-off’ approach adopted by the parents. 

As Judi noted: ‘These are very interesting mutual touch rituals from William and Kate, with a suggestion that they might have made a conscious decision to relax what has in the past looked like their ‘hands off’ policy in public. 

‘Although we have seen them being tentatively tactile before, these rituals hint that they might be happy to be seen as a little more demonstrative, now that the hugely tactile Harry and Meghan have left to live in Canada.’ 

‘These latest rituals show the royal couple looking mutually supportive via small arm and back touches though, rather than flagging up their love via hand-holding and hugs.’

THE COUPLE’S GENTLE TOUCHES

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were captured sharing small arm and back touches when strolling along the South Wales neighbourhood.  

Judi explained: ‘In many ways these touches are ’empty embraces’, meaning they are mimed hugs that suggest the real hugs are there off-stage. 

‘They’re also used as tie-signs, that is keeping the communication alive between them non-verbally when they are out in public.’

SHARED SMILES 

Judi also commented on the many smiles shared between the couple during their busy engagements today – claiming it was Kate’s way of bringing William ‘out of his shell’, like his brother Harry used to do.

‘This isn’t just a loving gaze between Kate and William, it also shows her performing a wide, beaming, laughing smile as she exchanges eye contact,’ the author said.

‘This is often what’s called a pinging smile, aimed at encouraging your partner (or small child when its a parent/child interaction) to grin back. With her determined-looking stride and sense of high energy, Kate does seem to be motivating William in terms of relaxing and enjoying the moment.

‘His returned smile looks hugely affectionate and appreciative although the way he has one hand stuffed into his pocket hints he might have needed the prompt to come out of his shell a little.’

She added: ‘It’s also heartening to see Kate and William sharing a sense of fun and humour in public as this tended to be a role in William’s life primarily filled by his ‘fun’ brother Harry.’

A CHANGE IN HEART 

The expert suggested that the slight touches shared between the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge today might show a change in heart from the ‘rather traditional and cautious’ Prince William.

‘Constant touch might have been seen as ‘non-royal’ by the rather traditional and cautious William,’ she said.

‘It could also have been a symptom of his fear of reverting to the kind of soap opera body language displays we saw during his mother’s marriage to Charles, when the press went into over-drive with every new emotional clue they provided.’