Prince William and Kate Middleton make first joint engagement in Wales for more than a year

The Princess of Wales chuckled and rolled up her sleeves to try her hand at making Welsh cakes while in Cardiff today.

William and Kate made their first joint engagement in Wales for more than a year to mark the nation’s annual celebration of St David’s Day.

The Prince and Princess of Wales visited Pontypridd ahead of official events to mark the country’s patron saint – and all things Welsh – on Saturday, March 1.

Arriving in the nation via train, the royal couple’s Instagram account teased Kate and William as they walked down the train platform.

Kate, 43, rewore a chic scarlet Alexander McQueen coat – the same she had sported for her Together at Christmas carol service – layered over a checked Gucci skirt and black boots, while carrying a brown handbag. Later, she swapped her jacket over for a dark green blazer.

The mother-of-three appeared to go without her engagement ring, instead sporting an ‘eternity band’ set with diamonds and sapphires. To accessorise, she seemed to sport garnet charm hoops from Spells of Love and carried Mulberry’s Bayswater tote – in the shade Oak.

She styled her thick brunette locks in loose curls hanging down her shoulders. Meanwhile, William opted for dark trousers and a jacket, and carried official-looking documents under his arm.

The couple’s last visit together was in October 2023, with other planned engagements cancelled because of Kate’s shock cancer diagnosis; although they have both visited separately in recent months.

Their first public engagement saw them visit Pontypridd Market to meet local business owners and try their hand at making one of the country’s most celebrated exports – Welsh cakes. This is a delicious traditional sweet using flour, sugar, spices, butter, eggs and dried fruit which is then cooked in a pan and dusted with sugar.

The Princess is a particularly keen home baker, although William has previously admitted he is somewhat hopeless at it. 

Pontypridd Market has been at the heart of the South Wales community since 1805 and is home to business selling everything from meat to fruit and vegetable, toys, books and textiles and boasts several cafes.

The couple toured the food hall, and visited The Welsh Cake Shop which has been serving the local population for more than 25 years.

It is also well known for its Bara Brith, a traditional Welsh fruit bread, and delivers both this and Welsh cakes to locations across the UK.

The royal couple donned aprons, and took the chance to bake the treats before handing out their successful efforts to market traders and customers.

Madison Conner, 19, said: ‘They were perfect, they were great, they were banging.’

The couple arrived and first chatted to butcher Kevin Kidner, 61, of KMG Poultry, before posing for selfies and talking flowers from children and customers waiting to greet the couple.

Arriving at The Welsh Cake Shop, Wills asked: ‘How dirty can you be? Flour everywhere?’

They were each given a mixture and handed a rolling pin and a demonstration by owner Theresa Conner.

Once the mixture was flat they each cut 12 circles and placed them in a pile.

Kate looked impressed at William’s efforts and said: ‘Those are so good. How did you do that?’

William joked: ‘Well I don’t know, my stunning bakery skills, Mary Berry taught me everything I need to know.’

The cakes were cooked for five minutes on each side and Kate and William went to Fountain Cafe to speak to local business owners who had been devastated by Storm Darragh.

The prince then carried the entire tray to hand out to well-wishers including Kerry Williams, 64, who was wearing an Aston Villa shirt.

William was heard saying: ‘Welsh Cakes made by us.’

The whole tray was snapped up by locals.

Theresa Conner, 46, owner of The Welsh Cake Shop, said afterwards: ‘They were very good. I asked and they said they had never made Welsh Cakes before.

‘They were surprisingly very good and both good bakers. I gave them a quick demonstration and they took to it like ducks to water.

‘I should have taken the opportunity to get them in for St David’s Day. I can do with all the help I can get.’

All the Welsh Cakes were taken away by the royals or handed out to people in the market.

Theresa added: ‘Maybe we could have framed one… It’s a real privilege they came to visit us. It’s massive.’

Palace staff bought ninety Welsh Cakes to take away for lunch – the shop sells ten for £4.

Apphia Stokes, 9, and younger sister Freya, 4, handed Kate some daffodils.

Their grandmother Lynn Sebury, 64, said: ‘They were lovely. We asked for a photo and they said yes. They got a good Welsh welcome.’

The couple then stopped at the Fountain Café to meet a group of business owners for a conversation about life in Pontypridd Market and its role within the local community.

Afterwards William and Kate visited Meadow Street Community Garden and Woodland, which has been designed to create a safe and welcoming place where the local community can come together and enjoy the benefits of nature.

The project to create a community garden was established in January 2021, when work began to clear a site that was overgrown and full of debris from flooding.

Together with Pontypridd Town Council, volunteers rejuvenated the site which is now a vibrant garden and creative space.

As well as promoting the benefits of nature to wellbeing, the community garden works to build resilience within individuals and forge connections between people. 

There, the Princess of Wales promised to send her recipe for plum jam to a young gardeners.

Kate heard how young volunteers at a community garden in Wales were growing their own plums and turning them into jam, and said: ‘I’ll send you my plum jam recipe so you can try it.’

She also revealed that she is learning to forage in Norfolk, with her three children left impressed by a ‘huge’ puffball mushroom she had found near their home.

‘The children thought it was fascinating,’ she recounted.

The Prince and Princess of Wales were given a tour of the woodland walks and homegrown produce.

The garden, which was badly flooded in 2024 and has bounced back with the help of volunteers, is intended to be a welcoming place for the local community to enjoy nature.

It fits in with one of the Princess’s passion projects, encouraging people into the outdoors, with nature activities for children.

The couple laughed as they were shown ‘Bug-inham Palace’, an insect conservation area, and joined a group round a fire to make balms out of plants.

The garden overlooks the River Taff and the A470, with volunteers describing it as a haven in an otherwise urban community.

The Prince and Princess, who had changed into a brown jacket, long skirt, and high-heeled boots, both wore daffodils, celebrating their first joint away-day in Wales since the Princess’s cancer treatment.

They were greeted in the garden by Helen Williams, community development manager, and Dawn Parker, a volunteer.

Helen admired the daffodils, and Prince William joked of his wife: ‘Her one is bigger than my one.’

They were given a history of the garden by Kaci Pucknell, a volunteer, and a short walking tour taking in raised beds, polytunnels, and natural landscaping.

Introduced to a group of young volunteers, the Princess asked: ‘What sort of things to do you get involved in?’

One young woman told her that they were growing plums on a tree, pointing it out behind them, with the Princess exclaiming: ‘I just saw it!’

Prince William asked about the flooding during Storm Bert last year, which covered the garden and left furniture floating away, and whether there are many similiar outdoor projects in the area.

‘Do you like getting outdoors?’ he added. ‘It’s so good isn’t it.’

‘Do you think there is enough access to nature,’ the Princess asked. ‘We were just hearing that this isn’t just about nature it’s also about wellbeing. Do you feel that?’

The Prince asked whether they were ‘bringing their friends down’, adding: ‘You have a few hands on deck now!’

Before moving to the next area, Kate remarked on the changing seasons with talk turning to plum jam-making once again.

William said it was ‘amazing’ and Kate offered to send her recipe, leaving young volunteers delighted.

The couple were then introduced to adult volunteers, including Vanessa Matthews who made Prince William laugh by telling him she had seen him as a young boy – on the television.

‘This morning I’ve had a number of people say they met me [when he was very young] and I had to say I’m sorry, I don’t remember!’ he replied.

Martin Phillips, who has done dry stone walling on the site, joked that he would build the Prince and Princess a castle for next time they visited, with William joking that he hoped it would be on higher ground. The garden had flooded again last week.

The couple paused to sit in an ornate wooded sculpture with seating inside, which Kate declared ‘so creative’.

They then joined a group around a fire, with potato and leeks boiling in a pot over it.

The Princess spoke to Jody James, from charity Coedlleol (which translates as ‘small woods’), about foraging.

‘We both love the smell of a fire,’ said William, as Kate put her hand on his back.

As thick smoke wafted over them, the Princess joked: ‘Until you’re in it.’

The couple were shown the plants used to make balm including plantain, smelling them and asking where they come from.

The Princess told Jody that she had been foraging in Norfolk, recently finding a mound of puffball mushrooms, which can be edible and are known for their meaty texture.

‘She said she was interested in that kind of sustainability,’ said Jody afterwards. ‘She’s been doing her own foraging in Norfolk.’

The Waleses, who travelled by train, finished the engagement just a few minutes late, with encouragement from their security team.

‘I’m sorry, we’ve got to catch a train,’ William told volunteers as they left. ‘They’re getting a bit panicky!’

Meadow Street Community Garden and Woodland was established in January 2021, when work began to clear a site that was overgrown and full of debris from flooding. Together with Pontypridd Town Council, volunteers rejuvenated the site where it is now used for activities including gardening, woodwork and weaving.

After floods in December left it completely underwater, members of the community restored the garden from near-devastation.

William and Kate are also understood to have visited one of the houses affected by recent flooding. 

Pontypridd was one of a number of towns across Wales which was hit by severe flooding as a result of Storm Bert Storm Darragh in December last year, with large parts of the site were disrupted.

However volunteers worked quickly to restore it and the prince and princess will receive a tour of the site.

It is an ex-mining town in the Rhondda Valley whose most famous celebrity export is the singer Tom Jones.

William and Kate, formerly the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, were created Prince and Princess of Wales following King Charles’ accession to the throne.

At the time William pledged to serve the people of Wales with ‘humility and great respect’ and vowed to celebrate its ‘proud history and traditions as well as a future that is full of promise’. The prince has also been making efforts to learn Welsh.