In an emotional encounter that six royal fans will never forget, Prince William emerged unexpectedly from Kensington Palace to join them as they held a vigil for his mother, the late Princess Diana, at the palace gates.
The group gathers every year to honour Diana’s birthday, which is on July 1st. This year she would have turned 58.
They had been there since 5.30am. At around 6.45pm they were stunned to see the future king emerge from the palace and walk quietly down the drive towards them with a small security detail.
He spent about seven minutes with them and only left when crowds started to gather, saying it was a private visit.
The scene was, reportedly, incredibly moving, with some breaking down in tears as they retold the event.
John Loughrey told the Daily Mail, “I’m still shaking now. I feel very emotional.
“William told me he knew we’d been coming here for years and thanked us for what we were doing for his mother.
“He said ‘I’m touched by what you do’… I told him that I pray for his mother every Sunday at Westminster Abbey and he seemed really touched.”
This image and the one below show Prince William and Prince Harry joining fans who held a vigil for their late mother, Princess Diana, in 2017.
Another of the six who met Prince William told the publication: “None of us could believe it when William suddenly walked down the drive to come and thank us. He really is his mother’s son.”
Prince William was asked when a much-talked about statue to his late mother would finally be effected in her memory outside the palace.
William told them: ‘Soon, very soon. We just want to make sure it is right. It’s important to get it right.’
Both Harry and William also stepped out on the anniversary of Princess Diana’s death at Kensington Palace in 2017.
The brothers were just 12 years old and 15 years old when their mother was killed in a car accident in Paris in August 1997.
Earlier in the day, William’s wife Kate visited Hampton Court garden, where her Chelsea Flower Show design, named the ‘Back to Nature Garden’, was moved.
Wearing a gorgeous summer dress by Sandro along with her signature wedges, Kate was joined by children from the Anna Freud National Centre, Evelina Children’s Hospital, Action for Children UK and Place2Be.
At the event Kate revealed that Prince George had played a big part in the creation of the special design.
He had asked for stepping stones over a mini pool fed by a waterfall because he apparently loved jumping across them – and apparently they were a hit with the children!
Kate also surprised royal fans this week, opting to sit with the public instead of in the royal box to watch the tennis at Wimbledon.
