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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge travelled to Wales on Tuesday to celebrate the businesses and local communities in the Mumbles and Port Talbot and it was as they were greeting crowds in the south of Wales that Duchess Catherine had an unexpected reunion with two influential people from her childhood.
As she and Prince William greeted crowds outside Joe’s Ice Cream parlour in the Mumbles, the 38-year-old happened to bump into Kevin Alford and Denise Evans-Alford, two of her teachers from primary school.
Catherine attended St Andrew’s prep school in Pangbourne, Berkshire with her younger siblings Pippa and James Middleton – Denise was her netball coach and Kevin taught her French and German.
The sweet reunion marked more than 20 years since Catherine had seen her teachers, but they had clearly made a lasting impression, with the royal mum-of-three telling her tutors: “I want to instil in my children what I learned at St Andrew’s.”
In a long overdue reunion, Catherine bumped into two of her primary school teachers, Denise Evans-Alford and Kevin Alford. (Image: Getty)
Speaking to Hello! following the reunion, Denise observed: “Kate hasn’t changed at all, you can tell. Pippa and James are wonderful too. I’ve been waiting 20 years for this.”
“We saw her once when she came back to school, when she was 14, and we haven’t seen her since,” Kevin added.
“Obviously, we’ve been following her career. She was in such a wonderful class of girls and they got on so well together.”
During their visit to the ice cream parlour, the royal couple also spoke to local parents and carers about life in the Mumbles and to discuss the 5 Big Questions survey that Duchess Catherine launched at the end of January.
As well as tasting ice cream at the parlour, the royal couple also spoke to local parents about Duchess Catherine survey, 5 Big Questions. (Image: Getty)
The survey aims to spark a UK-wide conversation on raising the next generation of children and during a visit to a nursery in London last week she gave the exciting update that more than 100,000 people had already completed the survey, just a week after its launch.
Duchess Catherine has made early childhood development and children’s mental health key focuses in her royal work.
Last year the duchess collaborated on an interactive garden project with the Royal Horticultural Society to design a garden which encouraged children to play and explore.
The garden, named ‘Back to Nature’ was originally unveiled at the Chelsea Garden Show in April last year, before moving to Hampton Court Palace’s Garden Festival and finally, becoming a permanent fixture at the RHS Garden Wisley.
Kate and William’s eldest children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, enjoying the garden their mother helped design. (Image: Matt Porteous)
The garden features a waterfall and stream, den, campfire, treehouse and rope swing, as well as a bug hotel, hidden burrow and bee-friendly wildflower meadow.
“I really feel that nature and being interactive outdoors has huge benefits on our physical and mental wellbeing, particularly for young children,” Catherine previously told the BBC.
“I really hope that this woodland that we have created really inspires families, kids and communities to get outside, enjoy nature and the outdoors, and spending quality time together.”
Kensington Palace added on Instagram that the interactive features of the garden enabled children to develop skills for life through free play, building their confidence, strength, resilience and social skills.
